Photo by Jaziel Leija

Glitter Rose

Executive Director / Instructor,
Born Strong Martial Arts

Rose began her career in the independent music industry at a young age. Alongside her musical pursuits, she has a longstanding commitment to charitable work, dedicating her time and talent to organizations supporting underprivileged teens, the homeless, and animal welfare. Notable organizations she has contributed to include Girls Inc., The Bridge Homeless Shelter, and ASPCA. Rose began boxing at 17, but it wasn't until 2020 that she expanded her training into martial arts with Premier Martial Arts (PMA), where she progressed to Program Director for East Dallas and later became General Manager of three PMA locations. In 2024, motivated by a desire to provide martial arts access to underserved communities, she co-founded Born Strong Foundation with her husband Mikey, and established Born Strong Martial Arts.

Photo by Jaziel Leija

Mikey Jaramillo

Special Education, Uplift Education 
Atlas High School

Jaramillo started his martial arts journey at age 8 and reignited his passion in 2020, and is currently an Apprentice Black Belt with Central Martial Arts. He has promoted, organized and facilitated fundraising events for organizations like St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Society, and The Help Group. With the co-founding of Born Strong Foundation in 2024 with his wife Glitter, Mikey is dedicated to making martial arts accessible to underserved youth and low-income families. In addition to his nonprofit work, Mikey has over a decade of local volunteer experience and has served as a Special Education Teacher for near a decade as well, focusing on supporting children with special needs.

Mu Huang, PhD, DPT

Science & Medical Advisor, 
American Heart Association

Dr.  Huang is a distinguished scientist, clinician, and educator with expertise in leading interdisciplinary research and writing projects. His work focuses on cardiovascular, neurologic, and muscle physiology, as well as lifestyle medicine, rehabilitation, and exercise physiology. As a research leader, Dr. Huang has contributed significantly to understanding the physiological effects of exercise and rehabilitation in various clinical populations. He is deeply committed to advancing scientific knowledge in these areas through both academic collaboration and mentorship. As a father of 2 young martial artists, Dr. Huang experiences first hand the mental and physical health benefits of martial arts, and the confidence and awareness in instills.

Anna Gay

Director of Academics, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Anna lives life at the crossroads as a woman of color, a Filipino immigrant, and mother. She is a graduate of and serves as the Director of Academics at Dallas’ downtown-based Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, a premier training ground for young artists and performers. She considers herself a classroom activist as a teacher in one of the nation’s largest and most diverse urban school districts. In her classroom, she emphasizes themes of equity and diversity, and helps her students develop a deeper sense of compassion by highlighting minority voices in literature. In her 20 years as a secondary English Language Arts educator, she has created student groups dedicated to discussion of social justice issues, actively decolonized her classroom curriculum to include literature by BIPOC, queer, and disabled authors, and helped to found and develop Crossroads, a growing group of educators dedicated to doing the good work of making her school community more inclusive. She is also the faculty sponsor of the Asian Student Union, helping the student body process and understand issues specific to the Asian community. She is the proud mother of a Born Strong martial artist and has watched as her child has blossomed under the tutelage of Glitter Rose and Neb Ermias.

Neb Ermias

1st Instructor, Born Strong Martial Arts

Ermias grew up in East Dallas and began his martial arts journey at age 8, years later earning his 1st Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo with Dallas Academy of Martial Arts. Over nearly a decade as an instructor, Neb has honed his skills, incorporating Krav Maga training during his tenure at Premier Martial Arts from 2021 to 2024, and earning a Level 1 Certification with Krav Maga Shield. He is also pursuing a career in MMA and continues to impress in his memorable bouts, earning him more credibility in the MMA circuit. He's now officially part of the AzTex MMA Fight Team in Dallas. His personal experience, combined with his dynamic and supportive teaching style, has made him a positive force in the Dallas martial arts community.