UNC alumnus Nathan Ligo works with court-referred youth to build character through karate

Nathan Ligo was 13 years old when he joined the Carolina Martial Arts Club at UNC as the club’s only child member.

“I was a pretty weak, unhappy kid,” he said. “I saw it as a way to become stronger and to fit in more.”

Ligo said martial arts redefined his life — even taking him to Japan to train — and now he wants to share that experience with students, including those with behavioral problems.

In September, Ligo, now 40 years old, opened Ligo Dojo of Budo Karate in Chapel Hill, his second non-profit school.

The first, Ligo Dojo of Budo Karate in Durham, is a non-profit for at-risk youth opened in 2007. Ligo received funding from the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council in Durham and the Governor’s Crime Commission to teach court-referred and mental health referred kids.

He opened the Chapel Hill school after receiving a grant from the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council in Orange County. There are currently 25 students at the Chapel Hill school.

Ligo said he hopes the school will enable him to share his transformative martial arts experience with others.

“I had this sense of contentedness, which I’d never had before,” he said. “It didn’t feel right to not share that achievement.”

While a third of Ligo Dojo students are referred from agencies, the school also serves paying students of all ages. Ligo uses a sliding scale of payment so families pay what they can afford.

He said he has been able to see a significant difference in the behavior of his young students.

“You see them stand up straighter. You see the light in their eyes, the confidence,” Ligo said. “There’s just no end to what you see in the changes of kids.”

Josephine Cuevas, whose four children were students at Ligo Dojo in Durham and now study at the Chapel Hill location, can attest to that change.

Though her children were not referred to the school, she said studying there has changed their lives.

Cuevas said she has seen the biggest difference in her 10-year-old daughter, Deserré, who is able to stand up for herself now and participate more in school.

“She’s made a complete turnaround in her confidence,” Cuevas said.

Cuevas said she even decided to take up martial arts herself after her children had such a positive experience.

Sophomore Brandon Burney, Ligo’s first student from UNC, said he started to practice martial arts at the school because he appreciated the relaxation and discipline after a stressful day of classes.

“We all genuinely care about each other,” he said. “Nobody walks around there with an ego. We’re all on the same page.”

Junior Ian Anzola, president of the Carolina Tae Kwon Do club, said he thinks Ligo Dojo stands out among more commercial martial arts schools.

“The thing that interested me is the fact that it’s a nonprofit school,” he said. “A lot of schools now-a-days are focused on having you earn whatever belt.”

But Burney said that’s not what he’s learned from Ligo.

“Naturally, I want to get to the point of being a black belt, but I want to continue to build up my confidence and discipline,” he said. “You strive for those things, but it’s bigger than that.”

Ligo said he hopes other UNC students will train at the school.

“I grew up training with UNC students,” he said. “I would love for people to know we’re here now.”

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