Yolanda Quintero began her study of martial arts in 1998, earning her Dan certificate from Kukkiwon, World Taekwondo Headquarters in 2004. During those six years, she also trained in Brazilian Ju-jitsu, and Modern Arnis. The flow and soft, sticky hand methods of the empty-hand Arnis training led to seek out a martial art with more soft techniques, arriving at Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu, under the expert training of Sifu Henry Chung. Praying Mantis Kung Fu combines both external and internal martial components as well as chi gong training. After about two years of training in kung fu, Sifu Chung insisted that Yolanda also begin Tai Chi training, since she still relied too much on the gong component from her TKD training. Sifu Chung taught an old form of Wu style Tai Chi he had learned in the 70’s at his father’s Mantis school in Hong Kong. In 2007, Sifu Chung attended a seminar with Sifu Eddie Wu, and sought to upgrade his own Wu technique. In 2008, Yolanda also began attending Sifu Wu’s seminars, and they both began private training with Sifu Genie Parker of Ann Arbor. Yolanda was an instructor in Sifu Chung’s school by this time in both Mantis and Tai Chi classes. She also taught Kung Fu at Northwood University as a for-credit class. By 2012, Yolanda decided to dedicate herself solely to Wu Style Tai Chi and retired from practicing and teaching Mantis Kung Fu. She continues to learn and improve her Tai Chi with Sifu Parker and attends each seminar with Sifu Wu at Sifu Parker’s school. Being a distance learning student, she has also found the Wu family’s excellent DVD training courses to be an excellent adjunct to the personal instruction from Sifu Parker and Sifu Wu. With her fighting background in other martial arts, Yolanda has a special interest in Push Hands and fighting forms and applications. Yolanda plans to continue practicing Wu style and enjoying its health benefits throughout her life. As she approaches retirement age from her professional work as the Biologist for the City of Saginaw, she hopes to offer more Wu Style classes at different times and with different target groups at Chung’s School of Chinese Martial Arts in Midland, MI.