By Caroline Garcia, art, sports, and culture reporter
On a college campus where many are focused on academics and building a resume, one club wants to help the physical and mental wellness of women, building them up and bringing them together outside the classroom.
The Virginia Tech campus is home to two sizable gyms with all of the equipment one could ever need and more. Some students come into college as avid gym goers, whereas others might be stepping into a gym for the first time.
Despite previous knowledge, stepping into a new gym can be intimidating, or not having a gym buddy can be discouraging. CHAARG, a workout club at Virginia Tech, is working to curate a welcoming, inviting environment for women at Virginia Tech to workout together without judgment, expectations, or prior knowledge.
CHAARG (Changing Health Attitudes + Actions to Recreate Girls) is a national health and fitness organization that operates as a student-run club with hundreds of branches at colleges and universities across the country. The organization was founded in 2012 at The Ohio State University with the motivation of helping women to become more comfortable in the gym while also being able to have fun.
The Virginia Tech chapter was founded a few years ago, and has grown in size with over 100 members currently. Girls can become members of CHAARG, where they are exposed to a range of workout opportunities. Members are invited to join weekly group workouts, small group bonding activities, and social events. Workouts vary from week to week, exposing members to all different types of workout classes, including boxing, dance classes, weight training, running, and more.
Event coordinator for CHAARG, Alisa Calabro during a group workout at Blacksburg Boxing. September 15, 2026. Photo by Caroline Garcia.
The group element also brings a new smaller community of women to have fellowship with on a large campus. Alisa Calabro, the current event coordinator for CHAARG, shares her insight on the community CHAARG provides: “I really just like that it is a women-based community. The founder of CHAARG created workout groups so that you could try new things without having to feel judged or intimidated by gym bros grunting and screaming at the gym. We’re a community where you’re more comfortable being yourself around other people who you know are not going to judge you being there. It’s nice. Everyone’s so nice.”
“You know nobody’s looking. We’re doing jazz dance soon. I’ve never done jazz dance before and I can’t dance, but I go to these things knowing they’re not going to laugh at me or anything, and I can just try it and be free to do so. So it’s pretty cool,” Alisa added. “Another new thing we have this year is a run club — this is just additional stuff, because really the biggest thing we’re trying to do is make campus a little less intimidating.”
The weekly large group workouts exist to bring women together, while the small groups create even more intimate groups where real friendships and connections can develop. The small groups are structured where girls can sign up for a time slot that works with their schedule, and they are assigned a weekly slot with the same girls each week. The smaller groups allow girls to make deeper connections with each other by having consistent meetups to participate in a fun activity or just hang out with one another.
The club doesn’t just want to help women workout, but help to create a space for women to meet each other and broaden their horizons. “The group workouts challenge girls to try new workouts without feeling pressure or intimidation in a new environment,” said Halla Baugher, the vice president of media for CHAARG.
Aside from exercise, the leadership team is working hard to ensure that CHAARG focuses on a comprehensive scope on wellness. This semester, the club is bringing in health experts to speak on how food and exercise work in tandem — assuring members feel strong and energized for their workouts.
“The leadership team, we’re prioritizing staying healthy,” adds Calabro. “This year we’re trying to add in a dietician to come speak with us, so that no unhealthy habits accidentally form through a college fitness group. We think that’s very important.” With 50% of teenage girls participating in disordered eating behaviors, this education is more important than ever.
Accessibility is a pillar of what CHAARG is working toward. While making working out with new people more accessible, they also help to make classes more accessible financially. Many studios that host events with the club charge hundreds of dollars for memberships or individual sessions. In CHAARG, the women will pay an affordable fee in dues for the semester, which will cover all weekly classes that otherwise would add up quickly in price. The national organization also has grants where applicants can have their dues covered or dropped significantly, because they want all women to be included in the community.
Group photo at the end of the weekly CHAARG workout, holding up the organization’s logo. September 15, 2026. Photo by Caroline Garcia.
In a large school and online world, community is what people are looking for. Many girls have found this in CHAARG. Nihar, a freshman in the club, shares her reason for loving CHAARG: “It’s a really great community of girls. Everyone is all friends. I’m a freshman, so it’s my first year, and I think it’s a great way to get active and find a community.”
Calabro mentioned how she was able to meet a lot of girls that were outside of her major. “I just really like that it brings people together closer than just being in a club and coexisting with each other — you actually make connections and meet a lot of people you probably wouldn’t.”
CHAARG exhibits how health and community can work together to benefit students, both physically and mentally. With a goal of creating a belonging workout community without the intimidation, the organization exhibits a wellness goal Virginia Tech commits to: no Hokie left behind.
