I'm a Zumba Instructor Now!?!?!

I started attending Zumba classes when I was around 10 years old with my Nana. This ignited a small passion in the back of my mind that led me to jump towards Zumba and dance classes at various gyms and school programs where it was offered throughout my years growing up. After some big lifestyle changes at the beginning of Summer 2023, I knew I wanted to find something that would get me more active and to feel more confident in myself, but also something that was UNIQUELY MY OWN. While home from college over the summer, I started going to my local gym Zumba classes a few times a week when I had the idea: what if I went through Zumba Instructor training?!?!

Honestly, I put it off for a few weeks because the online certification was a bit expensive, but when I got an Instagram ad that was 50% off, I went for it! My online training took me a couple of months of slow class taking and learning, and I completed it in August in a hotel room with my mom when she came down to San Marcos for the weekend when I was back in school!

I was super excited about having this certification! But because I am who I am, I couldn't just stop there. As busy as I am, I kept thinking back to what started it all: having something uniquely my own that I could be confident in and proud of. This led me to send an email to the head of the Texas State University Recreation Center Group Exercise Big Boss asking if they were by any chance looking for a Zumba Instructor.... and as fate would have it.... THEY WERE!

I had my Audition after a few back and forth emails on October 6, 2023, and found out that I had gotten the job! I was so full of pride and excitement for the journey ahead of me that was so uniquely my own!

After a few months of rehearsal, Winter Break, and Multi-Purpose Room D becoming my best friend, it was time to teach my first class on Wednesday, January 17, 2024!

Honestly, I was soooo super excited, but at the same time, super nervous! Dance hadn't been on the Rec Schedule in over a semester, so I didn't know if I had any demand or if people would like my music.... but I advertised like crazy! I posted on Snapchat and Instagram to promote my 1st class, and I had a lot of verbal encouragement going into it on that Wednesday, but what I didn't expect was my first class to be A COMPLETELY FULL ONE!!!!!! WOW!!!!

The feeling of being truly satisfied with your life while being surrounded by so much love and support in a room is one I will never forget. I recently read "if you went back and erased all of your mistakes, you would erase who you are," and I think this was such a fulfilling moment to me that made me understand that phrase deeper. I am so extremely proud of the person I am today writing this post, and as much as I can say "hindsight is 20/20" and have the desire for things to have gone differently than they did, I am who I am today because of all of it. Cheesy, I know.

My first class, and every single one of my classes since have brought me a sense of joy I thought I had lost. I am finding myself creatively in new ways. I have lost 40 lbs since the beginning of this journey. I am connecting with people and hearing how my 30 minutes of dance in their lives make such a difference. This position has been more to me than I ever expected it to be.

I want to thank everyone in my life who has been so extremely supportive of me every step of every journey I've been on, especially this one. I love love love seeing you all at my classes every week, and I love the encouragement I get from my family over text and calls.

To many, many, many more impactful moments, because isn't that what life is about?