Luisa Abatecola

Program Director / Owner

Luisa is a graduate from Cumberland High School.  While in high school, she was an active participant of Project Talent as a dancer and worked with choreographers Dante Deljudice and Adrienne, and danced in productions such as "The Wizard of OZ."  She was also a co-captain of the Cumberland Clippers Cheerleading Squad.  Afterwards she attended and graduated with a Degree in Education from Becker College in Leicester, Massachusetts.  While a student at Becker College, she served as a Resident Assistant at Lane Hall.  Her past experiences include: head teacher at the Beehive Childhood Center in East Providence, employed at Harvard Health of New England, founder and director of "Impressions."  "Impressions" was an interpretive dance group based in South Eastern Massachusetts in the mid-nineties.  She left the corporate world to focus on raising a family.  She is a mother of 4 and has successfully taught her children at home through a successful home school program for about 9 years.  She has been a well respected member of the local home-schooling community and organized many very successful educational field trips for LIGHTS, a local home schooling group.  She was also deeply involved in the coordination and operation of the S.M.A.R.T. (Supporting Mothers and Raising Toddlers) program. She  provides very helpful insight into innovating methods of teaching  children.  She incorporates her creativity, knowledge and experience in Early Childhood Education and mixes it with karate basics.  The result is a unique kids program that develops motor skills and enforces values in a positive environment.  She is the sole Owner and Program Director here at USA Karate, Pawtucket, where she has earned the respect of all who know her.  This has helped earn her recognition as "Program Director of the Year" by the New England Karate Commission. She is also heavily  involved in her local public school system serving as the PTA President.  She has been awarded the Community Service Award in recognition of her selfless time and energy she committed to the school system. In November of 2008, she was elected in a landslide victory to the East Providence School Committee as the School Committee Member At Large, meaning she represents all 4 wards of the City of East Providence.  She was the only school committee member to be re-elected in 2010; winning in yet another landslide victory.  In 2012, she decided not to seek Re-Election and put her focus back here at USA Karate RI and her Family.