A woman whose character and energy that has the ability to brighten up everyone in a room is definitely Carlisa Jenkins. She is a Junior Psychology major from Vicksburg, Mississippi attending Alcorn State University (ASU) and so far she has been making her mark all over campus as a Zumba instructor. Zumba is an aerobic fitness program featuring movements inspired by various styles of dance and performed primarily with high energy dance music. With her fun dance routines she invites students on campus to join her in exercising to some of the best old school and new school music that Hip Hop and R&B has to offer. From Beyoncé’s ‘Naomi Campbell Walk’ to ‘Run the World’ there is surely a sense of empowerment for women in her cool dance routines. Some of her favorite artists to use during her instructional dance sessions are Pitbull, Bruno Mars, Trina, Fetty Wap and Chris Brown.
Jenkins stated, “Well I’ve always loved dance and I’ve been inspired by Zumba because of the positive impact that it had on my life. I was not happy with myself my Sophomore year of college. I felt like I had gained too much weight and I was just in a dark place going through some enormous difficulties so I decided that I was going to get up and do something to change my morbid situation. After discovering Zumba it not only improved my health but changed my mind set as well.”
After enrolling in Zumba classes and becoming quite good at it an instructor of Jenkins encouraged her to consider getting certified as a Zumba instructor. At first she was skeptical but after thinking it through and praying about it she realized that it was the perfect idea to pursue. She stated, “I love the way Zumba makes women feel. It inspires them to lose weight and become healthier, gain more self confidence, and meet new people. I just love everything about the art of Zumba.’’
March 8, 2017 will mark the one year anniversary of Jenkins becoming a Zumba instructor. She plans on having a big celebration for all of the progress that she has made. She encourages Alcorn students to come out every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the ASU bookstore lobby to lose weight, feel good and enjoy Zumba dance.