Meet our S.W.E.A.T. Instructors

Krystyn Prasarn

Krystyn Prasarn joined Rice University’s instructor staff in August of 2011 after relocating to the Houston area from upstate New York. While living in New York, she became a Certified Spinning Instructor through Mad Dogg Athletics and joined the staff of the Womens’ Rochester Athletic Club for two years. Krystyn’s style is high energy and challenging in a way that makes working out fun! Choosing the best music for the goals of her class is top priority and strategy for engaging class participants. 

 Karen Rosenthall

Karen has been teaching spinning classes since 2007. Her favorite thing about spin is that each participant can tailor the workout to his or her own abilities, so while she loves to encourage people to push hard, she knows that everyone is able to determine that individually.  She hopes that the people who take her class are constantly challenged to exceed their perceived limits and have fun in the process. 

 Jackie Roy 

Jackie is an avid runner and believer of constant variation in your workouts for total body health. She loves teaching CSI and Yoga because she can see her students confidence, strength and flexibility increase in an non-competitive environment each semester. It is a combination that allows her students to achieve both physical and mental health and a true sense of personal empowerment.

Laura Wellen

Laura teaches kickboxing, step aerobics, total body conditioning, cycling, and a variety of mixed formats. She is certified through AFAA and Mad Dogg Spinning. She encourages her clients to think of physical fitness as a series of decisions that they make every day. As an instructor, it is her goal to provide information, creative options, and motivation to shape daily decisions and turn them into positive physical and mental changes.

 Karen Ding

Karen teaches Zumba.  Her classes include a mix of Latin styles such as merengue, cha cha, salsa, cumbia, and reggaeton, as well as Bollywood, belly dance and pop. She believes that the best part about being an instructor is being able to motivate students of all levels to have a great workout while having fun at the same time.  “I hope participants will find my Zumba classes exhilarating and physically challenging!"

Kayla Shearer

Rhia teaches Hatha Yoga which includes physical postures, breath work, meditation and relaxation time. The best thing about teaching yoga is creating the opportunity for students to explore their bodies, minds and beyond. She loves it when people leave her class feeling better about themselves and the day ahead of them. 

Michelle Shapiro

Michelle loves teaching indoor cycle classes. She’s been doing this for many years and feels it's one of the things in life she’s extremely passionate about. She feels her participants really enjoy her music and get a really fun and challenging work out.  

Elliott Young

Elliott Young, M.Ed., is a certified personal trainer (ACSM), group exercise instructor, and lifestyle and weight management consultant (ACE), and a published author (Kiss Dieting Goodbye). She enjoys teaching Core Power, Yoga, Running, and Boot Camp classes. "I love inspiring people to accomplish their health and fitness goals and, thereby, improve their lives!"

Milton Pinzon-Cancino

Milton has been teaching group fitness classes, including BODYPUMP™, since 2006 and at the Recreation Center since 2011. He invites you to try BODYPUMP™, it will improve your strength and general fitness, shape and tone your muscles, protect your bones and joints from injury, and help you get into shape while having fun.

 Ayshe Tayfun

Ayshe has been teaching spinning and group exercise classes since 2007. Her favorite thing about teaching classes is the energy that each person brings to the collective and selecting motivating music that participants can enjoy. Ayshe hopes that each person walks away from her classes feeling like they’ve been challenged and motivated to keep working on their personal wellness.

Allyssa Abacan 

Allyssa Abacan is a senior at Jones College, studying Cognitive Sciences, Sociology, and Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities. As a former Student Leadership Group member, this will be her third semester teaching a S.W.E.A.T. class. She is excited to teach one more semester and bring out the Video Vixen in everyone.

 Megan Weintraub

 Megan teaches Glee Groove. She enjoys picking out fun dance routines from the show “Glee” to teach each week, and also loves taking requests from class participants. The most rewarding part of teaching this class is to see people release their stress and enjoy themselves as they really get into performing the dances.

Jose Malave

Jose has been teaching kickboxing since he was a senior in high school. He joined group fitness because he believes that working out in a group with music and a motivational instructor has exponentially better benefits that working out alone. He loves to inspire new and veteran participants to push themselves every class. He welcomes people of any age and all fitness levels to come enjoy a fun and intense workout!

Ben Ong  

Ben teaches street dance styles like bboying, popping and locking. Ben was part of the Funk Faction Crew. Since the crew's formation in 2007, members of Funk Faction have gone on to compete in international competitions like the 2010 World Hip Hop Championships. Others are now judges for local competitions in Singapore and the UK. Ben believes that anyone can dance and promises that you will leave his class moon-walking better than Michael Jackson.