About The Tea Horse

I didn’t just discover tea—I discovered a path.

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While studying at Florida International University in Miami, I was introduced to two deeply transformative practices: Chado, the Way of Tea, and Yabusame, Japanese mounted archery. Though seemingly different, both revealed the same truth to me—discipline can be meditative, beauty can be found in precision, and spirit can be expressed through form. Together, they opened my heart to the profound depth of Japanese tradition and awakened a lifelong calling.

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In 2014, I received a scholarship to study in Japan, where I had the extraordinary honor of researching the Ogasawara family—an 800-year-old samurai lineage known for preserving classical etiquette, archery, and cultural teachings. Learning from them while writing my Master’s thesis was more than academic—it was a soul-deep encounter with a living tradition.

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I earned my Master’s degree in Asian Studies in 2016, graduating with top honors.

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That path led me further into the heart of tea.  I was then awarded the Midorikai scholarship to study at the Urasenke Professional College of Chado in Kyoto, where I spent a full year immersed in the seasons, philosophy, and quiet rituals of the Way of Tea. It was there that I learned not only how to serve a bowl of matcha—but how to live with intention, awareness, and grace.

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I am deeply grateful to the Urasenke family, the Ogasawaras, and the mentors who guided me with generosity and belief.​​  My purpose is to share this path with others.  I’ve now been studying tea for over 13 years, and continue to walk this path with curiosity and devotion.

 

Every gathering, every shared bowl, is an opportunity to reconnect—with nature, with one another, and where harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility can blossom—one mindful moment at a time.​​

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Because sometimes, the quietest paths lead us to the brightest truths.

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Education:

Urasenke Professional College of Chado

Midorikai Certificate Course         

July 2017  Kyoto, Japan

                       

Florida International University 

Master of Arts in Asian Studies

Spring 2016, Miami, FL               

Masters Essay "The Hoof and the Bow"              

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Florida International University        

Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies

Summer 2013  Miami, FL