Meet the Instructors [1]
Abigail
Mechanical Engineering 20
Abigail is a mechanical engineering major who loves working within the field of orthopedic and prosthetic devices. Fitness and wellbeing have always been important to her and she hopes to help others with their health goals by teaching.
Teaches: Spinning®
Aakshi
Neuroscience 21
When Aakshi mediates she feels love. She is on a journey into living in her body with an open heart. She wishes for others to join her on this journey.
Teaches: Heart Opening Meditation
Allana
Dance 21
Allana has always loved dancing and fitness, and loves that Zumba combines both. She can’t wait to help others have fun while getting fit.
Teaches: Zumba
Allison
Accounting 20
Allison joined Campus Recreation in fall 2017. She took her first Zumba® class at the Rec Center and loved it. She decided to become certified and give others a fun way to exercise. Her goal is to have her participants smiling by the end and feeling good about themselves.
Teaches: Zumba®, 30-Minute Abs
Ana
Nutrition 22
Ana is a nutrition major who wants to inspire others to live a healthy life. She decided to teach Rec Spin in order to achieve this goal. Her class will be filled with high intensity rides while listening to upbeat Spanish remixes. She wants her riders to leave her class more motivated and confident to do anything they desire to.
Teaches: Rec Spin
Anthony
Biology 21
Anthony swiftly discovered his passion for Barre and fitness after transferring to UMass his sophomore year and is excited to inspire others with music and fitness this year!
Teaches: Barre
Becca
MPH in Community Health Education 20
Becca is a graduate student that is dedicated to making an inclusive and empowering environment in her spin classes. Come for a great workout, fun music, and a welcoming atmosphere!
Teaches: Rec Spin
Brooks
Finance and Public Health 20
Brooks wants you to push yourself and see how strong you are. Brooks likes challenging everyone with a variety of moves and speeds on the bike. He hopes his classes will help people grow and change themselves for the better.
Teaches: Rec Spin, Spin & Sculpt
Caleigh
Nutrition 20
Caleigh became inspired by the passion of group fitness instructors at Campus Rec and decided to pursue a certification in Spinning®. She hopes that with teaching she can help motivate others to create healthy relationships with fitness/wellness.
Teaches: Express Spin® Spin® & Body, Spin® & Core
Carlie
Communication Disorders 21
Carlie re-discovered her love of spinning during freshman year, and now wants to help others find what they love through fun music and motivating workouts.
Teaches: Spinning, Spin® & Core, RecSpin
Carol
Communication (Spanish minor) 20
Carol found a love for group fitness her freshmen year and decided to share her passion by teaching group fit. She is very excited to meet new people.
Teaches: 30-Minute Abs, Pilates
Daina
Finance 21
Daina developed her passion for cardio kick during freshman and sophomore year while taking many different group fitness classes, and now is excited to help others with their wellbeing through exciting music and motivating workouts.
Teaches: Cardio Kickboxing
Dale
Kinesiology 20
Dale has played sports his whole life with ice hockey, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, rugby and basketball. During his junior year he participated in a cardio sport class and immediately fell in love with the high intensity and sport style fitness training. He is currently a senior and is doing an internship with the football athletic training team as well as working as a personal trainer.
Teaches: Cardio Sport
Dierdre
Communication 20
Dierdra has been active her whole life with surfing, hiking, biking, dancing, sports, and running. She's always had a love for the outdoors and found a new love for the gym and teaching group fit classes. She started teaching Zumba® her Junior year because she loves the high energy workouts and the positive impact it has on people when they leave. She is currently a senior in her last semester, and she also does personal training!
Teaches: Zumba®
Elizabeth
Hospitality & Tourism Management 20
Elizabeth is super excited to be a part of Campus Recreation. Teaching Cardio Hip Hop, she hopes that those in her class get sweaty, dance like crazy, and most importantly have fun!!
Teaches: Cardio HipHop
Emilee
Psych and Neuroscience 22
Emilee fell in love with spin her freshman year and can’t wait to have a party on a bike with you! Her classes are filled with upbeat high-intensity music making spin the best way to sweat. Emilee hopes that you will push yourself to become stronger with every ride. She wants you to leave feeling challenged yet accomplished and like the best version of yourself.
Teaches: Rec Spin
Emily
Accounting 20
Emily encourages any and everyone to come dance around to relieve stress, improve their spirit, and feel great about their minds and bodies! Working for Campus Recreation allows her to have the opportunity to share her passion for fitness with others!
Teaches: Cardio HipHop
Grace
Microbiology 20
Grace is a senior microbiology major who discovered a love of yoga her junior year. She has a passion for introducing beginners to yoga and guiding them through positive, high energy practices. Grace also loves bees, and brews kombucha.
Teaches: Broga® Yoga
Haley
Elementary Education/Psychology 21
Working out has always been one of Haley’s favorite ways to relieve stress, and going to group fitness classes is her favorite way to workout. She danced for 15 years before coming to college and teaching barre is a great way for her to combine some of her favorite things; dance, working out, and sharing her love for both of those with other people!
Teaches: Barre
Isabel
Kinesiology/ Pre-Med Track 21
Throughout her freshman year, Isabel fell in love with the group fit program and wanted to be a part of the team that helped her feel strong and confident. She rides to the beat of high-intensity, pump-up music and hopes that her class is challenging yet enjoyable. She wants all her riders to have as much fun as she does when she teaches and wants to put a smile on everyone's face.
Teaches: Spinning®
Isabela
Public Health 22
Isabela is a public health major who found a passion for cardio sport her freshman year. She is excited to inspire others through upbeat high-intensity workouts into finding their place in the world of fitness. Bring a water and be prepared to SWEAT!
Teaches: Cardio Sport®
Jackie
Biology & Sustainable Food and Farming 19
Jackie wants to be a high school science teacher and own a flower farm. Her classes are high energy and bring fun and fitness together. Jackie is excited to continue sharing her love for fitness and community at UMass Campus Recreation.
Teaches: Cardio Kickboxing, Total Body Burn
JP
Mechanical Engineering 21
JP loves fitness and is excited to be teaching acro yoga. He hopes to help his class learn the proper way to do handstands and cool body weight skills.
Teaches: Acro Yoga
Jenn
Political Science / English 21
Jenn has grown up around fitness her whole life, interned for a sports marketing company this past summer and is using that towards her TRX Boot Camp, Spin and Body classes!
Teaches: TRX Bootcamp, Spin & Body
Jill
Assistant Director/Fitness and Wellness
Jill graduated from UMass with honors with a B.A. in Women’s Studies and Community Health. Prior to joining Campus Recreation in 2009, Jill had competed in fitness and bodybuilding. She still trains regularly, enjoys running and is always trying new things. Jill believes that family comes first, that friends should always make your life better, and the little things really do matter. Jill's certifications include first aid/CPR/AED, Spinning®, Yoga and Barre.
Teaches: Acrobatic Vinyasa Yoga
Jill
Dance 21
Jill found her love of movement through yoga freshman year and hopes to share her energy with others through mid-morning classes
Teaches: Vinyasa Yoga
Josh
Computer Engineering 22
Josh has a deep passion for helping others become fitter and healthier. His classes focus on building strength and endurance needed to conquer anything life throws at you. He believes fitness should be fun and done together.
Teaches: Functional Fitness
Juliana
Psychology and Legal Studies 21
Juliana is a junior who wants her spin classes to be sweaty, challenging and fun. She sees group fit classes as a time to forget about every other aspect of life and to work hard. Fitness has been a huge part of her life since she can remember and she hopes to motivate people to reach their fitness goals.
Teaches: Rec Spin
Katherine
Nursing and Biology 20
Katherine's classes have a strong focus on moving and having fun while keeping proper technique. Katherine enjoys teaching and helping others to do the best they can and looks forward to working with everyone.
Teaches: Ballet, Cardio Dance
Katie
Communication Disorders 20
Katie fell in love with the group fitness program her freshman year at Campus Rec. She loved the group atmosphere that Spinning classes provide. She hopes that people leave her classes feeling strong & better than when they walked in!
Teaches: Spin & Body
Katie
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 21
Katie loves to be active and share her love for yoga with others. She strives to teach intense classes with a focus on connecting one's breath with movement. You can usually find her soaking up the sun, messing around in the grass, tumbling out of handstands and ALWAYS laughing!
Teaches: Vinyasa Yoga
Kehla
Biology 21
Kehla is very passionate about wellness, she finds that group fitness classes create a welcoming environment that promotes a high intensity workout.
Teaches: Cardio Sport®
Kelly
PR Engineering 21
Kelly grew to love yoga through community-based classes. Yoga became a way to bring anyone and everyone together. In teaching BRoga®, Kelly focuses on making yoga (and it’s many forms) accessible to everybody, regardless of background or ability.
Teaches: Vinyasa Yoga, Acrobatic Vinyasa Yoga, BRoga®
Kylie
Kinesiology 20
Kylie's passion for health and fitness was inspired by her mother who was an instructor for over 20 years. Friendly and motivating, Kylie will help you achieve your fitness goals while having fun.
Teaches: Boot Camp
Lauralyn
Public Health 20
Lauralyn began Pilates five years ago to supplement her figure skating training and absolutely loved the way it made her feel both physically and mentally. She then become a certified Pilates instructor to share her passion for the exercise with others. Through practicing different forms of exercise, she has learned just how much our bodies are capable of. Lauralyn loves being able to promote healthy fit living through teaching Pilates.
Teaches: Pilates
Lauren
Public Health/Psychology
Lauren plays on the UMASS women’s rugby team. Her interest in teaching fitness stems from her passion for athletics and her interest in health and wellness. She enjoys consistently finding new ways to stay active that keep her interested and engaged. She hopes she can help others do the same!
Teaches: Cardio Sport®
Lily
Environmental Science / German 22
Lily offers yoga as a form of mindful movement and a way to reconnect the physical and mental bodies. She has found exercises to manage stress while cultivating strength and focus. All levels are welcomed to come flow with her.
Teaches: Kripalu Yoga
Madison
Psychology 20
Madison wants to share her love for fitness with everyone who comes to her class. She hopes all her riders have fun, destress, and sweat it out!
Teaches: Rec spin, Spin & Body, Express Spin
Meghan
Nursing 20
Ever since attending her first group fitness classes, Meghan knew right away it was something she wanted to do. She fell in love with the positivity, empowerment and pure fun that comes with every workout. She developed a strong passion for Spinning®, which she loves to share with all her riders. Meghan wants her classes to be a place where stress can be forgotten and everyone can feel good about themselves.
Teaches: Rec Spin, Express Spin®
Natasha
Marketing 20
Natasha took her first Zumba® class during her freshman year and has loved it ever since. She hopes that her classes will help participants forget about all their worries (academic and other) and let loose for the hour. Natasha's classes are high intensity, fun, and do not require any dance experience.
Teaches: Zumba®
Olivia
Riley
Environmental Policy 21
Riley found Broga Yoga two years ago and immediately loved it because she is so inflexible but still loves a good yoga workout! She discovered it at campus recreation before she was even a student here, and soon after pursued her teaching certification.
Teaches: BRoga®
Rhianna
Sustainable Food & Farming 20
Rhianna has been practicing yoga for five years, and her classes aim to center and connect mind, body, and breath. Her classes are structured for all levels and consist of strong flows and peaceful meditations. You can always find Rhianna smiling and dancing around!
Teaches: Vinyasa Yoga, Yoga Philosophy & Meditation, Power Yoga & Meditation
Sara
Legal Studies/Spanish 21
Sara attended her first spin class her freshman year before transferring to UMass, and was glad to continue learning and riding with Campus Rec. She decided to start teaching to share her favorite way to work out, riding to the beat with fun music!
Teaches: Rec Spin, Express Spin®
Sarah
English/Psychology 21
Sarah began practicing yoga when she was 13 and fell in love with the community and the practice as a whole. She completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training at Prana Power Yoga Cambridge in 2019, and hopes to use yoga as a tool to help others navigate through life more mindfully.
Teaches: Vinyasa Yoga
Shae
Dance 2020
Shae has taught dance for 7 years and loves teaching barre and fitness classes. She enjoys helping people reach their goals and become more confident. Shae thinks laughing with friends and a good music playlist makes working out easier, and she always wants everyone in her class to feel welcome and have fun.
Teaches: Barre, Ballet and 30 Minute Abs
Sophia
Legal Studies / Math 21
Sophia discovered group fitness classes freshman year and decided to become certified to help bring energy and excitement to the UMass community. She hopes that participants of her class will leave feeling revitalized and happy!
Teaches: Rec Spin, Cardio Sport
Steph
Kinesiology 21
Steph found her love for health and fitness as a kinesiology major and uses that knowledge as a personal trainer and spin instructor. She loves to inspire and motivate others to step out of their comfort zones and live a healthy lifestyle while having fun!
Teaches: Express Spin
Subah
Finance / Hospitality & Tourism Management 20
Subah hopes to bring her passion for fitness and wellness to her classes by combining strength and cardio based circuits on the bike, with engaging and energetic music. She wants to make her classes an exciting and positive space where anyone can come try something new and hopefully discover a new love for fitness!
Teaches: Spinning®
Taylor
Kinesiology and Nutrition 20
Taylor enjoys teaching and helping others to challenge themselves. Her classes incorporate strength training and cardio-respiratory training into a challenging yet rewarding class. Taylor feels extremely fortunate to be able to bring her love for health and wellness to Campus Recreation.
Teaches: TRX® Boot Camp, 30-Minute Boot Camp
Veronica
Nutrition 4+1 Masters
V's interest in yoga was sparked in high school but she didn't deepen her practice until she began attending classes at Yoga Center Amherst. Since completing her 200 hour Embodyoga training she has enjoyed growing as an instructor and hopes to guide others in discovering a new relationship with and appreciation for their bodies' capabilities. Embodyoga® is a gentle style of yoga that encourages you to discover what kind of movement feels good within your body and offers the support to connect postures with anatomy and breathwork.
Teaches: Embodyoga®
Victoria
Marketing 21
Victoria has always been an athlete and enjoyed the feeling of working out and being in shape. Coming to college was a change for her not playing a sport, but cardio sport and group fit classes helped her to continue her love for fitness. Victoria can’t wait to help others to do the same!
Teaches: Cardio Sport®