Carissa Pajo

Carissa resides in Hilo, Hawaii, where she was born and raised. She grew up with an active lifestyle. Her childhood and teen years included competitive gymnastics, hula, Muay Thai, air riflery, soccer, judo, and track & field. However, Carissa's group fitness journey began in 2010 when she attended her first Zumba class. She was shy and always claimed a spot in the back row. In 2012, she was encouraged by many to flip the script and became a certified Zumba instructor. Over the years, this first step had cascaded into a series of additional certifications for other group fitness formats, including Turbo Kick, Insanity, Core De Force, PiYo, SH1FT, L1FT, M1ND, R1ZE, and STRONG Nation (formerly known as STRONG By Zumba).
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Connecting with people through group fitness has developed from Carissa's hobby into her passion. In early 2020, she left her position as a Loan Analyst at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pursue her dream of opening her own fitness studio. A few months later, she made it happen. Carissa's Fitness Studio opened in July 2020.
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Whenever you attend a class with Carissa, you'll definitely be sweating with a smile.