Feeling left out in class

I’m a pretty shy and introverted person, and I recently signed up at a gym where I’m usually the only woman in class (there’s one other, but she’s only there about half the time). I don’t really mind if people don’t talk to me outside of class, but lately training has been rough.

Most of the students are intermediate or advanced, and whenever we’re told to partner up, I’m often left waiting until the end. When numbers are odd, I get tossed into a trio and usually end up ignored or sent to do bag work on my own. If my usual pad buddy isn’t around, the coach usually has to force someone to partner with me, and it honestly feels like I’m making more “enemies” than friends, for lack of a better word.

It’s discouraging. On days when I do have a partner, I leave class feeling motivated and happy. But on the other days, it really takes the wind out of me and I start thinking about quitting. I’ve been pushing through in hopes that I’ll improve enough for people to actually want to pair with me, but it’s tough not to feel invisible in the meantime.

Has anyone else gone through this? How did you handle it without losing motivation?