This feature in Impact is focused on highlighting the "hidden talents" among UTMB's employees. If you have a hidden talent—or know someone who does—please tell us at impact.newsletter@utmb.edu. Thanks!
Name: Jill Sanchez
UTMB Talent: Administrative Assistant, Office of the Associate Vice President for Student Services
Hidden Talent: Inspiring movement through POP Pilates
Jill Sanchez says she was immediately hooked on POP Pilates, a derivative of the popular exercise regimen that is choreographed to music and feels like a dance on a mat, because of the seamless transitions between exercises.
“It’s faster and more fun than traditional Pilates, which is focused on concentrated breathing along with movements,” she says. “We use today’s top music hits during classes, and from the first time I took a POP Pilates class, I fell in love with the format. That first class left me with a sense of accomplishment and positivity that inspired me to bring that to others.”
She’s now been teaching POP Pilates for two years at various fitness centers, including Fitness on the Go in Galveston, 24 Hour Fitness and Perry YMCA in League City and The Gilruth Center near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Sanchez even taught a class on the lawn near Old Red on UTMB’s Galveston Campus.
Her favorite part of teaching?
“I absolutely love my students,” she says. “They bring me joy and inspiration and my goal is to help them along their fitness journey. When I look up at my class and see a student or students who have progressed to a certain difficult move, I get so excited and happy for them.”