Why did you want to become a director for the largest student-run philanthropy in the world?

THON is a relentless force, fighting childhood cancer and delivering eternal hope, strength, and joy to thousands of children and families. I THON to cherish the angels. I THON to join every child in their fight. I THON so one day, no child will have to battle cancer and no parent will have to hear the devastating four words: “your child has cancer.” I want to be a driving force in the pursuit of THON’s mission. Every time I heard Charles Millard share Christopher’s story, he shared something that will perpetually resonate with me. As Charles said, Christopher wanted to come back as a wizard and make people well. Everyone in the THON Community is the wizard, and our efforts give this wizard its powers. Directors need to unite our courage, wisdom, honesty, and strength. I want to empower the wizard.

What are your main responsibilities as a Director for THON 2023?

As the Technology Director, I’m responsible for managing five development teams, including THINK, Dash, Special Projects, THON.org, and Systems. Together, each team supports the unique needs of other committees, helping to solve their problems efficiently, as THON operates at an increasing scale. We develop and maintain THON’s online platforms, used by thousands within the THON Community every year. While I lead a few specialized initiatives myself, Technology Captains handle the majority of the technical work. My role is to provide guidance and support to each Captain, keeping our teams on track for success.

What is your favorite THON memory?

During Family Hour of THON Weekend 2022, I was on the floor to see the Celebration of Life, a video to honor the angels who continue to inspire our fight. Standing alongside fellow volunteers, dancers, and families, we all linked arms, swaying back and forth. Watching pictures and home videos of these families filled with joy, I felt a wave of tremendous emotion coming over me. I’m here to fight for these families, as if they were my own, because I know that the impact childhood cancer has on them is unimaginable. On the floor, everyone embraced to support each other. The radiating sense of unity felt during moments like these always reminds me of the THON Community’s strength. Dancers, volunteers, supporters, families; all coming together, driven to make an impact. Collectively, our contributions are extremely powerful, changing the lives of so many as we conquer childhood cancer.

As a director, what are you most looking forward to for THON 2023?

I’m always on the lookout for ways that we can incorporate technology into the THON Community. I’m excited to see how we can empower our volunteers, making their roles easier, and ultimately creating opportunities for them to further their efforts. I look forward to exploring new ideas and solving new challenges with technology in order to push THON into the future.

Favorite Quote?

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

Are you involved in other organizations that benefit THON?

N/A

What are you involved in outside of THON?

N/A

What are your plans after graduation from Penn State?

I plan to become a software engineer, doing remarkably similar work to Technology Captains!

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

I would be a duck. If I were a duck, I could fly, swim fast, and waddle. Oh, and of course, quack.

Is a hotdog a sandwich? Explain your reasoning.

No. A hotdog is not a sandwich because it has one piece of bread and a hotdog. A sandwich has two pieces of bread with some type of filling in between.