A Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight: Dylan Gluszek

When Dylan Gluszek was 5 years old, his parents signed him up for martial arts classes, a decision that would lead him to discover not just a new hobby but a lifelong passion. Initially resistant and determined to quit as soon as he earned his black belt, his perspective quickly shifted once he entered the dojo. The enjoyment he found in martial arts grew immensely from there, and he has remained involved ever since. Today, as the owner of Rising Star Martial Arts in Highland, he helps others embark on the same fulfilling journey he experienced as a child.

Once it clicked that this was the sport for him, Gluszek was all in. He was able to better understand just how much martial arts had to offer outside of the sport itself as he got older. A naturally shy kid, martial arts gave him a newfound sense of confidence that not only allowed him to excel in the studio but also in the classroom and in life in general. The life skills he gained from martial arts growing up also helped immensely as the Midlothian, Illinois native transitioned to college life across the country in Florida.

“The mentality puts different things into perspective, like the way I was in school,” Gluszek said. “I got good grades, respected everyone, and would always help other students and teachers. You learn those qualities – respect, discipline, and helping others – through the sport. I leaned into that, and it opened me up to a ton of different experiences. When I went to college, it helped me with so many different things, like having the discipline to do things on my own when I moved over 1,000 miles away.”

Making the cross-country move inspired Gluszek to open up his own school. He greatly missed his martial arts family back home, and began to teach the sport after leaving college. He quickly discovered a passion for teaching, which motivated him to establish the third Rising Star location, adding to existing schools in Midlothian and Portage.

“We’ve technically been there since the last week of July, but classes didn’t begin until the first week of September. I rent and use the space through another martial arts school, and I run my classes out of there,” Gluszek said. “We’ve been pushing for new students from July through August, and I have kids and adults from the other locations coming over here. I’ve also had some classes to train myself. Since I’ve been teaching a lot, I’ve been missing some of the training aspects.”

Opening the new school has certainly kept Gluszek busy, especially in the midst of balancing an already packed schedule with his two other jobs at a local daycare and concert venue. He takes it all in stride, saying with a laugh that he doesn’t have any free time because his schedule is packed with activities he greatly enjoys doing. The craziness is definitely worth it as he takes a step back and reflects on just how far he’s come, especially in just a short period of time.

“I don’t even know how I made it through, but now that things are finally starting to get set in place, it’s a lot more calm. It feels very rewarding to see students and leads come in,” Gluszek said. “Now, I’m getting to the rewarding part where all the work that I put in place for the past month and a half is starting to come together.”

Though he’s from across the state line, Gluszek is excited to immerse himself more in Northwest Indiana. He enjoys that, even with the area’s proximity to Chicago, the Region is still able to feel like a community of its own with a welcoming atmosphere. He’s looking forward to seeing what’s to come and watch it all unfold in Highland’s tight-knit community.

“When I leave the studio, sometimes I’ll take a different way home to see all the different things that are around here. Anybody who I’ve interacted with has always been nice. It’s definitely a little different from where I live because we’re somewhat close to the city of Chicago, but it’s a very nice community,” Gluszek said. “We pride ourselves in having our martial arts school here. We treat each other like families, so we do things outside of class as a family. Highland has a lot to offer, so I’m looking forward to all of it.”

Gluszek is exceptionally close with his family, and likes to spend time with them whenever his schedule does allow him to take a breather. They run a haunted house around Halloween and put on a Christmas display during the holiday season. His mom also introduced him to his role at the daycare, as she’s been a dedicated employee there for over 30 years.

Gluszek is ecstatic to help people of all ages learn more about the sport that helped give him purpose and changed his life for the better. He encourages everyone to just give it a try, even if they realize the sport isn’t for them. They might just find themselves in Gluszek’s shoes. All it took to change that mindset was the initiative to jump (and kick) right in.

“I always say to just start,” he said. “Just come to one class – If you don’t like it, you don’t have to stay because I understand that it’s not for some people. That’s why we always allow a trial class before they pay for anything. My biggest piece of advice is to just go into class for one day and see how it goes because you never know how it will turn out.”