Gabriella Viola is a 15-year-old who, despite grappling with several health conditions, is fresh off a grand championship title win in New Orleans.

There’s an exceptionality about “Gabby,” a distinct poise and a maturity that’s typically found in people twice her age, yet it suits her well.

Other than those distinctions — and her nascent rise in karate and kickboxing — she’s a typical teenager. Her playlist is full of Taylor Swift, she has an affinity for photography and videography, and she juggles a full course load in high school.

Her personal journey began at age 2, though karate and kickboxing are part of her family’s three-generation legacy. Her grandfather, William Viola Sr., founded Allegheny Shotokan (Viola Karate) Martial Arts in North Huntington and started teaching martial arts in the 1960s. Her father, Bill Viola Jr., her coach and sensei, said, “I came into it as soon as I could walk, and that powered me through my high school and college career at Pitt. I was always top of my class.”

He attributes that discipline to his study of martial arts. “That powered me to learn the habits and the methods to be a good student and, with Gabby, it’s the same thing,” he said.

“You have to attack life like it is a competition on that mat, and for our family, that has worked. It is something we believe in.”

They call it earning a black belt in life.

“These lessons she’s learning traveling around the world and competing and winning, it is just preparing them for a good life,” Viola said.

Gabby has a confident smile when speaking about her journey. “It is really special to be able to compete across the world at this level,” she said.

In February, she was at the French Quarter in New Orleans to experience a little bit of the city during Mardi Gras before the tournament. She competed in the Louisiana Pro Am Karate Tournament, representing the U.S. Army Fight Team. She won in her age range and division, then fought in the adult women’s division and was named grand champion.

Those types of wins are putting Gabby on the radar of high-level organizations like Team USA Kickboxing under the United States Olympic Committee.

Most recently, she was named 2026 Athlete Ambassador for Edgar Snyder & Associates.

“Gabby represents everything our firm believes in: strength through adversity, leadership and community impact,” said Rob Fisher, chief marketing officer and owning partner at Edgar Snyder & Associates.

“Her determination on and off the mat reflects the same values we strive to uphold every day in our work throughout Western Pennsylvania.”

Gabby has been enjoying the fruits of her labor.

“It feels like all my hard work has paid off and all my training I’ve been doing all these years. Every time I win it just feels like it is all worth it,” she said.

Finding the balance is a sport in itself for the self-motivated 15-year-old.

“I care about school a lot. Sometimes I have karate before I have class, or I’ll do a lesson before homework,” she said.

She’s taking mainly AP and honors courses, except for one class, as a sophomore at Norwin High School.

An A or a gold medal keep her motivated.

The process of preparing for a tournament like the one in New Orleans demands consistency and discipline. Gabby is typically at the school training almost every day — private lessons, conditioning and drills. She also spars with her teammates. At times, anxiety can creep in.

“Even though she is a consistent champion, those nerves creep in no matter what,” her father said. At the school, they emphasize the Japanese philosophy of gradual improvement and getting 1% better every day.

Creating a safe space to calm nerves is extremely important before the adrenaline kicks in.

“Sometimes I’ll just sit and take deep breaths, listen to music or get encouraging talks from my dad,” she said. In karate, they engage in a silent-breathing practice called mokuso.

She’s been to nine countries, winning medals in Ireland, Portugal, Canada, France, Hungary and the United Kingdom. She’s preparing to compete in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in the summer and Italy in the fall. Her favorite tournament was in Budapest.

Each win increases Gabby’s confidence and helps her keep both a positive self-image and body confidence.

At the age of 7, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and colitis. She has infusions at UPMC Children’s Hospital.

Navigating Crohn’s and colitis has been a continuing challenge as she pushes through stomach aches and fatigue. In these combat sports, she can get kicked in the stomach or head.

“Overcoming is hard sometimes with not feeling well,” she said.

As her coach, her dad has seen her at her toughest moments: cutting weight to prepare for a match while simultaneously needing an infusion.

At bigger tournaments, there are weight requirements, and she always needs to make her weight class to compete.

“Even at her sickest, she has always found a way to finish her matches and do well,” he said.

When they were in Paris last year, she had to skip having a pastry, her dad said. But it is those moments of discipline that make her stand out.

Of course, after the tournament, she was able to indulge.

Looking forward to the future, Gabby wants to continue to compete in world events and winning circuits, which would make her eligible to compete in the Olympics if karate returns and kickboxing is added.

“Our goal is 2032 in Australia. That is when kickboxing is on the short list to make its debut,” her father said.

“If she keeps doing what she is doing, she will be on a great track to represent America in the Olympics.”

Outside of her craft, Gabby has an affinity for videography and photography, capturing her travels and the journey. She also runs track and participates in tumbling.

She is an ambassador for the sport, putting herself out there as a role model and passing on the mentorship that she has received over the years. She works with five or six younger girls at the martial arts school.

“She leads by example — that’s what I am most proud of her for that,” her father said. “I think she’ll find as she gets older that it will be more rewarding than anything to see that she made a difference in their lives.”

Gabby said she enjoys coaching.

“I’ll give them tips on how to fight the girls that are maybe bigger or stronger, that they also struggle with,” she said.

She tries to pass on some of the tough lessons she has learned, her father said.

“One setback isn’t the end of the world. It is about consistency,” he said.

Only about 30% of black belts are women, according to the World Karate Federation. At the karate school, Gabby is one of the only older girls who competes, fighting mainly boys.

The school is a family, and she has been friends with some of her teammates since age 5. They travel together and climb up the ranks together.

Gabby is garnering a deep sense of resilience and mental toughness, she said.

“Karate makes me feel like anything else I do in the future I’ll be able to push through, and any challenge in the future I can do the same.”

First Published: March 19, 2026, 4:00 a.m.
Updated: March 20, 2026, 10:35 a.m.