Fitness does not always inspire enjoyment for people, but for Kelly Tomlinson, one of Mount Mercy Academy's new co-teachers for Physical Education and Health, exercising means staying healthy while taking pleasure in the experience. 

Ms. Kelly came to Mount Mercy in September of 2021, and she was surprised that, initially, most students did not love to exercise. 

To change this attitude, Ms. Kelly implemented more diverse workout styles, like weight lifting, TikTok workouts, boxing, and pound fitness. 

“My goal since I have started here [at Mount Mercy] is to get more students to like working out, and also to inspire them to go to the gym outside of school, or to teach someone outside of school to move their body and know that…it can be fun,” Ms. Kelly stated. 

In keeping with this idea, Ms. Kelly began after-school fitness programs for interested students and staff members. One attendee of the student program, senior Izzy Radwan, said, “Ms. Kelly made me feel motivated and empowered to keep striving towards my fitness goals.” 

Buffalo has always been a special place for Ms. Kelly. She grew up in Derby, New York-just about 25 minutes away from Buffalo. She now lives in Lakeview with her husband and two daughters. 

“I love Buffalo. I love the different seasons, especially our beautiful summers,” she said.

She attended SUNY Buffalo State College for her first, third, and fourth years of college, and Ohio State University for her second year, graduating with a degree in health and wellness with a concentration in nutrition. 

Right after graduating, Ms. Kelly took a sales position at Pfizer pharmaceuticals. Eventually, she knew that this job was “not what [she] was passionate about.” She decided to leave the company and get certified in personal training, leading to the opening of her gym: BTC (Be The Change) Fitness & Wellness. 

Meanwhile, throughout these experiences, Ms. Kelly always felt that she “should have gone on…to teach health—what [she] loves.” The opportunity to teach at Mercy felt meant to be as it has allowed Ms. Kelly to continue working at her gym while also inspiring students at the school. 

Michael Hardy, physical education and health co-teacher and athletic director, said, “Ms. Kelly has been a tremendous help in assisting me with classes so I can tend to other matters of athletics. She has brought great energy, effort, and passion in teaching physical fitness to not only our students but our staff as well.”

Outside of her fitness career, Ms. Kelly and her husband have opened a DJ company in honor of her husband’s late sister. She also loves photography, and just one of the things she works on is senior portraits. 

Ms. Kelly is an example to “always chase your dreams, even if it feels like they are unobtainable, and live every day to the fullest.”