Andra Baldwin

I am originally from Romania. I moved to the United States in 1999 when I enrolled in a Master's program at Emporia State University from where I graduated in 2001. While a graduate student, I met my husband who I married in 2003. We have two children--Laura (7) and Viviana (18 months). We are a typical working family--my husband is a 6 grade teacher and I work full time at Emporia State University and teach Zumba classes additionally. I am so fortunate in that my husband understands my passion for fitness, specifically Zumba Fitness, and supports me in actuvely pursuing my interest.

Prior to coming to the United States for my Master of Arts degree in English Literature I graduated from the american University in Bulgaria with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism and Mass Communication. I feel that my degrees have actually prepared me quite well for interacting with my student population. As a fitness professional, we have to maintain healthy communication with our clients. Sometimes, some of my students' first language is not English, so they feel rather intimidated. Seeing that I am not a native English speaker yet successful nevertheless has bridged a possible communication gap on many occasions. I also am able to communicate in a number of other languages--some more fluently than others: Romanina, French, Spanish, Bulgarian, Italian.

I feel that traveling to an exotic location and doing what I love would be the perfect marriage between the useful and the pleasant things in my life. I look forward to the opportunity to do so in the coming year.Thank you so much for the opportunity.