January - Jennifer Chadam
There is no way you can tell with one look that our Student of the Month for the start of 2012, Jennifer Chadam, is a proud mother of 2 teenage boys. As she sits down for our interview fresh from a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu class, we cannot help but to notice the vibrant glow radiating from her and how amazing she looks! She pridefully tells us that she has just earned her first stripe in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and a few days later was promoted to Muay Thai level 2. So how does this working mother, who has been a part of our Evolve family for almost a year now, manage to juggle it all?
Growing up, Jennifer has always been an athletic and competitive person. Old injuries started to haunt her at the beginning of last year and she had to undergo a surgery. Since then, she stayed away from doing sports due to fear of hurting herself again. Her friend, knowing of her health history, referred her to Evolve Mixed Martial Arts confident that she was going to love it due to the fact that Evolve is a different kind of school that puts their entire focus on the individual.
Fast-forward a year a later, Jennifer is doing one of the most extreme sports out there and has stayed injury-free. She explains, “the instructors here at Evolve have been very careful and great at modifying things for me. They are all world champions, thus they have the knowledge to personalize each and every technique that best suits me.”
So what is Jennifer’s key to finding a perfect balance in her life? The answer is simple: she makes herself a priority. For someone who has to divide time between work and her children’s school games, Jennifer makes the choice to set aside time to do something she really enjoys – training at Evolve. She even comes in on Sundays and weekday mornings, training from 4-10 times a week depending on her schedule. Jennifer also has the support of her loving family who is happy to see her do something she loves.
Jennifer adds, “it’s fun working out at Evolve! I don’t count the minutes like in a normal gym. It really changes the way I think about things.” Not only does she feel stronger, losing weight and gaining muscle definition, she has also made great friends here at Evolve. For an expat who comes from Canada, she feels that Evolve provided her with a great source of network and community in Singapore. All these benefits add to her overall experience here as we continue to aim in enriching the life of the whole Evolve community!
“I was proud to present Jennifer with her first stripe. She has improved a lot and is very dedicated in her training. She is especially good at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ‘guard’ technique, amazing student!”
-Rodrigo “Ximbica” Ribeiro, Evolve Instructor, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA
“Jennifer is friendly and good with everyone. She comes in for both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai classes very often. I have seen her Muay Thai techniques improve tremendously, and she deserves to be promoted to Level 2 for all her hardwork! ”
-Lamnammoon “Kru Yo” Sor Sumalee, Muay Thai World Champion and Evolve Instructor
