Group Fitness Instructors
Instructor Application (pdf)
Paula Garcia
Paula is a certified AFFA Primary Group Fitness Instructor. She is also a certified SPIN® instructor. She has been teaching at SIUe for 12 years. Paula is currently teaching Strength N’ Tone and Total Body. Paula’s favorite part about teaching is watching her students push themselves more than they ever thought they could. In her spare time, Paula enjoys running and has run a half marathon in all 50 states! Her favorite food is Guacamole!
Meredith Brunner
Meredith is currently 200-hour yoga teacher certified and she teaches strength, core, and cardio classes. She has been teaching for 2.5 years and her favorite part is giving people methods of relieving stress and creating a better life through exercise, breathing, and meditation. Her favorite fitness quote is, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” A fun fact about her is that she has owned her own massage business for the past six years.
Mike Dixon
Mike is currently CPR certified and certified to be an AFFA Primary Group Fitness Instructor. He has been teaching for six years and is currently teaching cycling and Bootcamp classes. He loves meeting new people and watching them improve their fitness levels. His favorite fitness quote is “Keep it fun” and a fun fact about him is that after years of stretching, he still can’t stretch.
Cristina De Meo
Cristina has been teaching for three years, and she currently teaches Zumba. She loves to see people smiling while they are working out. Her favorite fitness quote is, “Mens sana in corpore sano,” which means, “A healthy mind in a healthy body.” Her favorite exercise is Zumba.
Emma Lozowski
Emma is an AFAA Certified group fitness instructor and teaches Pilates and Cougar Strength. She started her career as a group fitness instructor at SIUE many years ago before teaching at different places. After many years away, Emma has returned to teaching at SIUE and says that it feels great to be back. Her favorite part of teaching is when participants become regular attendees of her classes and watching their progress as they get better and stronger. Emma’s favorite fitness quote is “Don’t fight the trail. You have to flow with it. You can’t make a mountain any less steep or an afternoon any color or the day any longer, so don’t waste your energy complaining.” A fun fact about Emma is that she is the first Hungarian woman to have registered her hike on the Appalachian Trail.
Interested in becoming a group fitness instructor? Email Ashlyn Tocco at atocco@siue.edu for more information.
