Breast Cancer Awareness Zumbathon and Wellness Expo

The Breast Cancer Awareness Zumbathon and Wellness Expo will take place this week on both UTRGV Edinburg and Brownsville campuses and will be open to the public for the first time.

Several student organizations will take part in the event sponsored by University Recreation, including the Health Occupations Students of America, Pre-Med/Bio-Med Society and the Women’s Health Association. 

“Our Zumbathon is more of a wellness expo now,” said Vanessa Thomas, a fitness supervisor at the UTRGV Recreation Center and a graduate student in biology. “I asked a bunch of organizations on campus … student clubs that are wellness related. … I asked them to come over here and table and when they table they are providing information to not only to patrons but to our guests, as well, about breast cancer.” 

The event will be free and include dancing, the wellness expo and raffles. There are also plans to have a guest speaker. 

However, the event’s main activity will be the Zumba dance class that will be conducted by three different instructors. 

“I fell in love with teaching Zumba,” said Kusy Zarzosa, a Zumba instructor at the UREC. “It’s simple for all and friendly for all, guys and girls, regardless of age. Here we find a new way to make it approachable to someone who is very new … like they don’t have any experience doing floor training, routines, techniques … and I think Zumba brings that to the table.” 

Zarzosa has conducted three zumbathons for breast cancer awareness and believes screening and early detection is crucial. 

“I think this is a great way to promote wellness, through Zumba, through dancing for all,” she said.

“This event will help fight the stigma and the myths about breast cancer,” Thomas said.

Information about how to prevent it, treatments and the type of help that is provided for those who are diagnosed will be available at the Zumbathon. 

“This is something I learned, living here in the U.S., especially in the [Rio Grande] Valley, people don’t like to drive somewhere to learn something that they don’t have to,” said Abdulghani Jamal, a senior medical management major and Breast Cancer Awareness Zumbathon and Wellness Expo volunteer. “Most of the people here already have an education, so people are lazy to do it or they don’t have the time. … But when you go public … people just want to absorb the information. Hopefully, this year it’s going to be full.”

The Zumbathon will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Texas Southmost College Recreation Center in Brownsville. On Thursday, the event is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the UREC on the Edinburg campus.