NORTH HEIGHTS ABKA
WHERE DO WE MEET?
North Heights Lutheran Church- Arden Hills
1700 W. Hwy 96
Arden Hills, MN 55112
WHAT ARE THE DAYS AND TIMES FOR THE CLASSES?
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays:
- Mini Ninjas (Pre-K5 to grade 1) 4:30-5:15pm
- Little Dragons (grade 2 to grade 5) 5:30-6:30pm
- Warriors (grade 6 to adult) 6:30-8:00pm
WHO DO WE CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION?
Molly Nielsen is the chief instructor and contact person.
molly.nielsen@nhlc.org
651-253-6085
WHO IS THE HEAD INSTRUCTOR?
Molly Nielsen
Rank:
• Third-Degree Black Belt in Karate through American Bushido-Kai Karate Association (ABKA)
• Second-Degree Black Belt in Mixed Martial Arts through Rosenbach Warrior Training Branch (RWTB)
• Instructor's status in Karate and Mixed Martial Arts
Molly Nielsen is a motivated and passionate learner and instructor of multiple martial arts styles. She started her training in mixed martial arts (RWTB) under Darrol Prusia in 2012 while she was living and serving in Mexico as missionaries with her family. A few years into her training, ABKA began sending teams down to Mexico to train. In August of 2017, Molly earned her black belt in mixed martial arts and then just six months later she traveled to Tulsa, OK to test for 1st degree black in karate with ABKA. Currently, Molly has earned 2nd degree black in mixed martial arts (RWTB) and 3rd degree black in karate with ABKA. She also spent 18 months training jiu-jitsu.
In June of 2018, Molly and her family moved back to MN, and she strongly felt called to begin her own school. After spending several months running classes out of her garage, she opened ABKA- North Heights in 2019 where she fervently continues to teach and train. It is Molly's passion to encourage her students to advance and apply the qualities of being true, confident warriors, not only in class, but in all areas of their lives.
Beyond martial arts, Molly has been married since 1998 and has 4 young adult children. As a family, they spent 15 years working with at-risk children and youth in Puebla, Mexico before returning to Minnesota in 2018. She also enjoys spending time with family, having coffer with friends, and crafting when time allows.
WHO ARE THE CLASS INSTRUCTORS?
Keziah Nielsen
Rank:
• Black Belt in Mixed Martial Arts through ABKA-NH
• First-Degree Brown Belt in Karate through ABKA-NH
Keziah began training mixed martial arts (RWTB) alongside her mom, Molly, in 2012 at 8 years old. Keziah has been training and instructing alongside her mom since the beginning of ABKA-NH. She earned her black belt in mixed martial arts in 2022. Through her journey, she has learned to push through difficult emotions, fight for what she wants to accomplish, and, most importantly, trust God to give her the strength and focus that she lacks. Her deep love for God, for people, and for teaching martial arts is obvious to all and inspires students of all ages.
The last few years, Keziah has been focusing on her schooling, studying early childhood education with dreams to become a preschool teacher. She also works part-time in a preschool and is an RA in her dorm. Keziah has a strong heart for kids with learning disabilities and even hopes to start a karate class specifically for kids with disabilities in the future. Keziah also loves coffee, hanging out with friends, and coloring and painting in her free time.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR NORTH HEIGHTS ABKA
Facebook: ABKA- North Heights
Instagram: abka_northheights
Website: abkanorthheights.org