LEESBURG, Va. — A husband-and-wife team with more than two decades of experience working with martial arts students and families has opened a new school in Leesburg.
ONEX Martial Arts celebrated its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 8 at 645 Potomac Station Drive. The school was founded by Master Woo Lee and Rocio Rauda, who have combined their experience in martial arts, instruction and youth development to build a program of their own.
For the couple, opening ONEX is also the culmination of a longtime family goal.
“ONEX is very personal to us. It represents not only our professional experience but also a dream we have built together as a family,” Rauda said. “Leesburg has been an important part of our journey for many years, and creating ONEX has given us the opportunity to bring our experience, passion, and vision together under one philosophy, ‘One Standard. Excellence’.”
The new school arrives in a part of Leesburg that has seen considerable residential and commercial growth over the years. For Lee and Rauda, however, the focus is less on expansion than on creating a place where local families know the people teaching their children.
ONEX offers instruction for children, teens and adults, with an emphasis on confidence, discipline, respect, leadership and character. Its program draws on traditional Taekwondo values while using a modern approach to instruction.
Rauda said the school’s standard applies to more than what students accomplish on the mat. The couple wants students to develop as people, too.
“We want every family who walks through our doors to feel that their child is known, encouraged, challenged, and cared for,” she said.
That family-centered approach is especially meaningful in Loudoun County, where rapid population growth has brought new businesses, neighborhoods and families to communities like Leesburg. Locally owned businesses can become gathering places that help maintain a sense of community as the area changes.
For Lee and Rauda, getting ONEX to opening day took years of work, sacrifice and support from families who believed in what they were building.
“We are incredibly grateful to the families and community members who have trusted and supported us,” Rauda said. “Every time we see students walking through our doors wearing the ONEX logo, we are reminded of why we started this journey.”
ONEX Martial Arts is located at 645 Potomac Station Drive in Leesburg. More information is available through the school’s Instagram page.
