South Middlesex Times

Malik Dobson, a 24-year-old Rutgers student, has been engaged in taekwondo since before grade school. His most notable achievement came in April during a national collegiate competition where he was named Male Athlete of the Year at the 2024 National Collegiate Taekwondo Association Championships. The event took place at the University of California Berkeley from April 12-14.

Dobson, who competed as a featherweight and won gold after five fights against various university representatives, was surprised by the announcement. He almost missed it while tending to an injured teammate. "‘They just called your name! You got athlete of the year!’ And I was like, ‘There’s no way!’” Dobson recalled.

Studying nutritional sciences with a concentration in dietetics at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Dobson is set to graduate in spring 2026. He also serves as a reservist in the U.S. Army and is scheduled for deployment this fall.

“I love the culture of taekwondo. It’s very much similar to the military culture,” said Dobson, who also manages Rutgers Veterans House. “It’s about things like respect, discipline; a lot of military values were instilled in the program as you move through the belt ranks.”

Dobson's teammate Ian Hong, captain of the Rutgers Taekwondo Sports Club, also secured gold in team trials and will represent Rutgers at international competitions in Colombia this November.

Jamil Ghanem, coach of the Rutgers taekwondo club members and owner of Fit Kicks Martial Arts in South Brunswick, nominated Dobson for balancing schoolwork with his Army obligations while actively participating in club practices and competitions. “I love his energy and his attitude with helping others,” said Ghanem. “He’s done so much but he’s so humble, so approachable.”

NCTA President Dan Chuang noted that Dobson's dominant performance at the tournament coupled with his sportsmanship earned him the athlete of the year title. “He won all of his matches by wide margins but also displayed outstanding sportsmanship,” said Chuang.

Dobson began taekwondo classes at age six under Oscar Alfaro at Shim’s Martial Arts Academy near their Elizabeth home. By 18, he was competing nationally and internationally, winning gold at events such as Taekwondo-Canada Open.

At age 20, Dobson decided to pursue higher education over continuing competitive taekwondo full-time. He received an associate degree in biology from Union Community College before joining the U.S. Army and enrolling at Rutgers in fall 2022.

Rutgers-New Brunswick hosts about 55 club sports including one of its largest and most active clubs: taekwondo with approximately 70 members. The club provides opportunities for national competition representing Rutgers while raising funds matched by university support up to $5,000.

“He has an old-school martial arts respect which is rare,” said Ghanem about Dobson's character and commitment to taekwondo values.