Members of the Texas State CHAARG chapter take part in a group barre class, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022 at Pure Barre in San Marcos.

Texas State students are getting the opportunity to get fit, break a sweat and create new friends through CHAARG, a women empowerment workout community.
With chapters at over 100 college campuses nationwide, CHAARG and nearly 10,000 total members come together to try out new fitness classes and test their own physical strength while supporting one another.
Jimena Escoto, president and founding ambassador of CHAARG at Texas State, discovered the organization through a friend who is a member of CHAARG at UT El Paso. As a health and fitness management junior who loves to exercise, Escoto was encouraged to start her own chapter and embarked on the journey to bring the organization to Texas State.
CHAARG is an acronym that stands for changing health actions and attitudes to recreate girls. By bringing CHAARG to Texas State, Escoto wanted to live out the organization’s name by encouraging Bobcats to exercise in a fun group setting
“When you go to the gym what do you see? All the girls [on] the elliptical or the cardio machines, and all the boys … in the weights like that’s the stereotype … I was really shocked by it because as a health and fitness management major, I love to work out and I love to lift weights,” Escoto said. “I want every girl to know how much power and strength they have [and] how empowering it is to be strong.”
Escoto applied and interviewed for a CHAARG ambassador position at Texas State in August 2021. She underwent four months of training and then planned out the semester with her executive team to introduce the organization on campus.
Hana Ahmad, an exercise sports science senior and vice president of CHAARG, heard about the organization previously from a friend at another school. Ahmad was intrigued by CHAARG’s premise and wanted to bring it to Texas State.
Initially, she thought it was too late to start a new organization since she is a senior. However, she found out via Instagram that Escoto was going to introduce CHAARG at Texas State and became eager to become a member. She ended up joining the executive team in November 2021.
“I wanted to be exec because when I heard about [CHAARG] I wanted to actually bring it to Texas State, but because I was graduating this semester I didn’t want to start it and then leave right after,” Ahmad said.
Although Texas State’s CHAARG chapter has just begun, it has been in the works since late October 2021. In the time since then, the executive team has planned out this semester’s workouts and workshops in San Marcos and Austin.
As of now, the CHAARG chapter at Texas State has 47 members. The group workouts are weekly and take place every Tuesday evening. Members get to experience different styles of workouts such as yoga and weightlifting. The first class members attended was at Pure Barre in San Marcos. A yoga class and a class at Orangetheory Fitness are also on the schedule.
Although the organization has just started, it has already made a great impact on its members. Like Escoto, Sydney Mickley, an exercise sports science sophomore and secretary of CHAARG, has a deep passion for working out. She heard about CHAARG on Instagram after seeing a post on a friend’s story. As a first-year student, she wanted to find an organization in which she could fit in.
“I’m so happy with what [CHAARG] stands for and … the girls in it,” Mickley said. “It’s changed me. [CHAARG has] brought me out of [my] shell. It’s basically like my first year at Texas State so I didn’t know anybody and meeting people with kind of the same goals and like morals as [me], health and fitness-wise, made me gain confidence really quick off the bat.”
Mickley looks forward to trying out new classes and making connections with the girls in the organization. Since being on the executive team, she has loved witnessing the behind-the-scenes process and growth of the organization.
“[I have liked] just watching it unfold, because [CHAARG] was nothing, and [the other day], we had a workshop, and it was just a very successful workshop … the girls were talking to each other, and it was just really encouraging seeing it unfold. I’m excited for the years to come,” Mickley said.
CHAARG members pay a semester fee of $47, a one-time payment to participate in all the workout classes and socials the organization holds. Students can join at any time throughout the semester, but it is recommended to join at the beginning of a semester so students can get the most out of what they pay for.
“[Students] should join because first of all, you make a lot of friends. If you’re a freshman, you’re gonna meet a lot of people. And second of all, you get to work out every week with different [studio] instructors, and you just feel so empowered by all the people that are there just trying to work out and be their best,” Escoto said.
Ahmad has enjoyed every moment of being a member of CHAARG since she joined. She said the beauty of the organization is that it is more than just exercise. Ahmad looks forward to the strong bond CHAARG members will continue to create with one another through the organization’s group outings like coffee dates and study groups.
“I’m excited to see the difference CHAARG makes on the members. I’m excited to see them grow because right now everyone is like, shy and like to themselves and not really talking [or being] outgoing but once we’ve been doing like workouts together and small groups and socials, by the end of the semester, I’m sure everyone’s going to be like, best friends with everyone. I’m very excited for that,” Ahmad said.
To join Texas State’s CHAARG chapter and learn more about the organization, visit https://chaarg.com/ or @txstate_inchaarg on Instagram.