Casey Schoenholtz has organized a two-part seminar for women featuring information about self defense, sexual harassment, and nutrition. It is free for women ages 14 and up with a reservation. The event on Friday and Saturday, April 16 and 17, is in conjunction with Schoenholtz’s Girl Scout Gold Award project.
“Martial arts has shaped me as a person, teaching me valuable lessons and disciplines,” she says. “I now feel prepared if there was ever to be a dangerous situation and want to spread this knowledge to other women.”
Born in Trenton, Schoenholtz lived in West Windsor until the family moved to Hopewell when she was in the sixth grade. Her parents, Diane and Drewe Schoenholtz, own Green Scene Landscaping, formerly based in West Windsor, and now in Hopewell. She remained with the West Windsor Girl Scout troop 71525 because “it was a close knit group of girls and I did not want to switch.” A junior at Hopewell Valley High School, she was a recent foreign exchange student in Madrid, Spain.
“When I expressed an interest in the karate school [Northeast Academy of Martial Arts] down the street my father signed me up at the age of four,” she says. “I learned quickly, competing in many tournaments and advancing through the rankings.” She earned her first degree black belt at age 12.
“While each participant will get the most out of the seminar by attending both days, we welcome anyone that can come on either day,” says Kathy Modi, Girl Scout leader of Troop 71525. “Feel free to bring friends and even make it a mother-daughter event.”
— Lynn Miller
Women’s Self-Defense Seminar, Northeast Academy of Martial Arts, 4054 Quakerbridge Road, Mercerville. Friday, April 16, 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at noon. Register. Free. E-mail neama@comcast.net for information. 609-587-6644.
