Tag Archives: new employee

New Staff Spotlight, Amelia Bogovich

May 11, 2022Uncategorizednew employeernagy

Hi! My name is Amelia Bogovich and I’m from Pittsburgh, PA. I’m currently a college volleyball athlete at Chatham University. I’ve been playing volleyball since I was 10 years old. I used to tag along with my parents to the gym when I was younger, which got me into lifting along with my club volleyball career. I began taking fitness seriously during my summer going into college to become a better athlete. My fitness journey has given me knowledge and better mental health. After attending school and playing volleyball in Ohio, I decided to transfer to Chatham University to be closer to home, and to have more opportunities to reach my academic and lifestyle goals!

Some facts about me are: I’m a SUPER picky eater, deadlifts are my favorite lift, and I recently started a fitness page on Instagram to meet others and track my progress (ameliab.fit). I’m an exercise science major and still unsure of what I want to do, but I hope to keep creating content and helping others.

I chose to work at Union because of the family culture and being able to surround myself with others who strive for a healthy lifestyle. I’m excited to learn more and grow closer to my goals on this journey!

New Staff Spotlight, Jan Rodriguez

May 5, 2022Uncategorizednew employeernagy

Hello, my name is Jan Rodriguez. I am a native from Puerto Rico, and I have been playing baseball since I was 3 years old. Throughout my career, I have traveled to different countries, played in lots of tournaments, participated in championships, MLB organization showcases, and met important people who helped me to be where I am right now. Thanks to hard work, I got the opportunity to play college baseball and study in Ohio. After a year, I decided to transfer here to Point Park University in order to continue my studies and play baseball while also looking to keep growing in life and be successful.

Some fun facts about me are: my favorite food is Paella (the best protein), my favorite vacation spot is Icacos Island (a little island at the east coast of Puerto Rico and is extremely beautiful – I would definitely recommend anyone who sees this to visit it), I enjoy walking/going scuba diving/relaxing on the boat while I’m there. My college major is video production, so hopefully whenever I’m done with college I will follow within that career path (maybe I will use this skill for future content for UF, who knows…)

I joined Union Fitness because besides having a passion for a healthy lifestyle and bodybuilding, I knew it was the correct environment to keep accomplishing my goals. I am really excited about joining this family and starting this journey with all of you guys! Looking forward to helping every single one of you.

Jan

Welcome to UF Katie

January 6, 2022Uncategorizednew employeernagy

Hey Union Fitness! My name is Katie Jones and I have been working at Union since November. You can catch me coaching Cardio Lab bright and early at 6 am on Thursdays and Friday (and the occasional Saturday morning)! Soon I will start coaching strength & conditioning for Chatham’s swim team. I am super excited!

I am from Saxonburg, a small town about an hour north of Pittsburgh. I have been living in the city for just about 5 years. I am a 7th and 8th-grade math teacher at Propel Homestead. I graduated from Westminster College in 2017 with a degree in Early Childhood and Special Education.

While in college, I was on the swim team and the cross country team. I was a competitive swimmer for the majority of my life. I started when I was 5 years old! I have been a runner since 6th grade when I started cross country. Swimming and running have taught me so much about dedication, hard work, and perseverance. They also opened the door to many coaching opportunities. I coached a local community swim team for 3 years while I was in college. When I moved to Pittsburgh, I coached for Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics for a little over a year. I have also coached countless running clubs within the community I teach. Coaching brings me so much joy! I love working with all levels and different types of athletes.

When I am not teaching or coaching, you can find me training at Union or running! I started competing in Powerlifting this past year (shout out to Jared Caroff for convincing me to do the Push-Pull meet!) I also run marathons for fun- crazy, I know. This past November, I completed my 9th marathon while keeping up with my Powerlifting training. Keep your eyes out for some blog posts about the combination of endurance training and strength training!

Outside of training, I love going to breweries, hanging out with my friends, & their dogs, and finding the best nachos in Pittsburgh (if you have any recommendations, hit me up). Thanks for reading a little bit about me! So happy to be a part of the Union Fitness Fam!

Welcome April

September 1, 2021Fitness, Life Healthnew employeernagy

Hi, I’m April, the latest and greatest addition to the Union Fitness team. I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and on track to complete my Nutrition Coach Certification in the next couple of weeks. My goal is to get exposed to as much as I can, as early on as I can. Fitness has been a passion of mine since I was 14, but I never thought it would turn into a career for me, and to be honest, I still don’t know if that’s the end all be all. This is what I do know: making goals for yourself and crushing them feels incredible, but you know what’s even better? Facilitating others in the process of changing their habits and crushing their goals. Fitness and healthy living have changed my life in such a positive way, and my goal is to show others it can do the same for them. I’m not going to lie, the process is challenging, but once you get going, everything turns into a habit. Before you know it, your lifestyle is changing, your mindset is changing, and you’re becoming the best version of yourself.

As funny as it may sound, I was extremely unathletic growing up, or at least that’s what I told myself. I stopped playing sports in middle school because I convinced myself I wasn’t skilled enough for anything. STUPID RIGHT?? Well, that’s what happens when you start listening to all the nonsense in your head and comparing yourself to others. However, all of that changed when I picked up the weights. I felt like I had finally found something I was “good” at. It was the only thing I didn’t look at as a competition between me and everybody else, but rather a competition between me, myself, and I. Once I became consistent with my training and the right nutrition, I saw the results of my hard work and became addicted.

If that wasn’t enough info about myself, let me tell you a little bit more. My favorite food is sushi, and my favorite dessert is ice cream. Fun fact, I worked at an ice cream store for 3 years in high school, and yes, I overindulged on ice cream every time I had a shift. I have a massive, sweet tooth! Ironic enough though, I’ve never had a cavity (knock on wood). My favorite lift at the moment is sumo deadlifts and my least favorite is back squats. Another extremely random fact, I have met and heard the stories of three Holocaust survivors. Shoutout to Mr. Haberman at Shaler Area Highschool for opening the eyes of so many young students and offering them a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet with survivors.

Anyways, to get back on track, I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I have only been at Union Fitness for a short time and have already learned so many things and met so many cool and genuine people. I can’t wait to continue learning and growing in such a positive and supportive environment.

Introduction; Miranda

June 3, 2021State of the Unionnew employeernagy

What’s going on Union,

You may have seen me around these past couple weeks, I have shadowed a couple cardio labs and #powerful classes during my first week. Although you might have only seen me a handful of times, yinz will start seeing me more often! I am a new personal trainer and a new front desk person.

I grew up within a very small town called Leechburg, Pennsylvania. Throughout my childhood I competed in four sports from the age of three to eighteen. I started off with gymnastics and continued with it until I graduated high school. However, once I reached middle school I started cheerleading and volleyball, but since my school was so small, track and field had not been added until my junior year, but only as a club. The positions I played in these sports are: mascot/cheerleader, multiple positions in volleyball from libero to right side hitter, and in track and field I was a pole vaulter. I also competed for my school as an individual in WPIAL gymnastics, where I have won four WPIAL medals for Leechburg. Outside of high school gymnastics, I competed in competitive gymnastics and was state vault champion in 2015. After I graduated I continued my collegiate career with track and field and was a pole vaulter for Chatham University. In my last year, I almost was indoor PAC champion in pole vault, coming in second place. As you can see sports have had a large impact on my life and have contributed significantly to my decision to go into exercise science.

I attended Chatham University for three and a half years, and I just recently graduated with a degree in Exercise Science. I will be attending Chatham’s Physical Therapy program this coming fall. Having a love for sports and fitness drove my passion in choosing and completing my degree. I have always wanted to learn more about the biomechanics behind exercises since a young age. I am quite passionate about fitness and helping people reach their best selves, but I am always ready for an opportunity to teach and learn new information!

Welcome to UF Maggie

May 5, 2021Life Healthnew employeernagy

What’s up Union Fam!

Some of you may have seen me sneak into your #powerful class, cardio labs or hanging out at the front desk trying to get to know everyone. But, I just wanted to take a second to introduce myself a little. My name is Maggie, and I am the new Business Operations Director here at UF!

I originally grew up outside of NYC in Yonkers, NY. Sometimes you can hear the accent when I get dragging and really need a cup of cawfee in the afternoon. I played competitive basketball for about 7 years and played on my varsity team for freshman and sophomore year in high school. After my sophomore year, I lost my love for the game due to varying reasons that I will discuss in a different blog post. I then started coaching for about 4 years while I was also rowing for a community team. I found my love for the game again through coaching and figured out that I love working with kiddos! During my summers in high school I worked at a day camp giving swim lessons (which is another passion of mine) and lifeguarding.

After I graduated from high school I decided to come out to the Burgh for college and was originally studying Biology. I quickly realized that was not the path for me and took an Intro to Exercise Science class. I immediately fell in love with learning what exercise does for our bodies and minds and why it does those things. The science behind movement and adaptations is something that really interests me and pushed me to pursue a degree in Health and Human Development with a concentration in Exercise Science. That was honestly the best decision I have ever made, again for varying reasons that I will discuss in a separate blog. So, there is a VERY brief introduction of who I am. Sorry that it isn’t just useless facts, but if you really want them here ya go:

Name: Maggie

Favorite color: Green

Favorite food: Boneless wings (I like to call them glorified chicken nuggets) or sushi

Favorite mode of exercise: Probably swimming. There is something really cool about being underwater to me.

Favorite thing about UF: The fact that I get to pet Thor at the front desk.

Fun fact: After a thorough Wikipedia, nothing exciting happened on my birthday except for the Lehman Brothers going bankrupt and me having the same birthday as Dan Marino. (Sept. 15)

Well, there ya have it. A little background on me and some facts that you might not ever use again. I am super excited to be here and meet all of you! If you see me around the gym PLEASE do not be afraid to come up to me and introduce yourself. I can’t wait to hear all of your useless facts and get to know you all a little more!

Best,

Magz