AUBURN — Back in April 2011, Megan Skilling wanted to lose weight and signed up for a Zumba class.

By September, she was an instructor. She ended up losing 140 pounds. Flash-forward six years and these days Skilling teaches Zumba six days a week, on top of her full-time job.

“I sang in high school, I sang in college, I sing in my church’s choir. I just enjoy the dance music, and Zumba doesn’t make me feel like I’m working out,” said Skilling, 31. “It’s a lot of fun. There’s days that I’m very thankful I’m the instructor — I have to show up, people are counting on me to be there. And then once I get there, it’s all good.”

She’s trained to teach regular Zumba, Zumba Toning, Zumba Kids, Aqua Zumba, Zumba Gold, Zumba Gold + Toning and Zumba Sentao. Skilling offers classes at the YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston and the United Methodist Church on Park Avenue, as well as teaching Zumba Kids at Park Avenue Elementary School’s after-school program.

“And I teach swim lessons, too, on Saturdays. Let’s just throw that in there, too,” Skilling said, laughing. “I function the best when I am very busy. But I joke that I rely on my alarms and my phone. I have alarms that go off before every class that tell me what I’m teaching and where I have to be, because I always have a concern I’m going to show up at church on a Y day.”

The teaching part comes naturally: Skilling was a public school teacher for eight years before working for a nonprofit for two years. She recently began working at Margaret Murphy Center for Children as an ed. tech. III.

Skilling graduated from Edward Little in 2004 and said she hasn’t considered laying roots down elsewhere.

“My friends, my family, my church, everything is in this area,” she said. “I just bought a house last summer and I was only looking in Auburn. I’m third generation to graduate from Edward Little. I’ve lived here since I was 3. I just love the Lewiston-Auburn area. I love the diversity that it offers. It’s just, it’s home. It’s where I grew up, it’s where I want to raise a family someday.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com

“I just love the Lewiston-Auburn area. It’s just, it’s home. It’s where I grew up, it’s where I want to raise a family someday.”