Fun Facts
Grade?
I am a Senior, but I’m not graduating yet, I have two more quarters and I’m just going to be going to school part-time and working full-time, because I love working!
Major?
Hospitality and Event management
Hometown?
Carmel, Indiana
Favorite place on campus?
The Vincentian Circle because it’s like a built-in, outdoor sanctuary. It’s the most quiet and peaceful place on campus while still being outdoors and still knowing that there are people around, but not hearing the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s the most “college” college spot we have.
Favorite TV show?
“Orphan Black” – it’s the most amazing show! It’s about this woman who finds out that she’s a clone and that there’s clones all over the world and there’s someone hunting them. It’s really interesting! Oh! Or Bob’s Burgers! Linda from Bob’s Burgers is my spirit animal!
Current song obsession?
Elastic Heart by Sia.
Dream vacation?
I want to go to Thailand and be in one of those little huts that overlooks the water! Or South of France, but only for the wine and the food, not for France.
What are you involved in on or off campus?
On-campus, DemonTHON; it’s pretty much all I that I did on campus because working a director’s position is like a full-time job. But outside of that, I work about 4 jobs right now that are all in events so they’re sporadic and just when someone needs me. But off-campus, I’m really involved with Ravenswood Event Center and also working at Bottom Lounge to help run events there too.
Speaking of DemonTHON, I know you are the Dancer Relations Director; could you tell me more about your responsibilities?
Basically, I am the point of contact for all the dancers – if they have any questions, need information, or anything like that, before or during the dance, they come to me. I probably got about 100 emails a day during the 2 weeks leading up to the event. I also have 2 assistants, and together we coordinate with Morale captains, run informational meetings for the dancers, as well as coordinate with all the team captains who have a meeting with me each Wednesday. Coordinating with the team captains is the main thing that I did.
How can people get involved with DemonTHON next year?
Morale captain applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so they will be accepted all through the summer and fall until we have the ones we need. And the morale team is our introductory leadership position, so it’s a really good way to feel out DemonTHON, and see if you want the commitment of the being on the board. [Information on how to apply is located on demonthon.org under ‘Morale Captains’ if you scroll down on the main page.]
So since this is your last year, what has been your favorite thing about DemonTHON?
My favorite thing, and the reason that I dance, is the dancers. I started [dance marathons] my freshman year of high school, and I didn’t know how powerful our generation could be; I didn’t know as a freshman in high school what a difference I could make in the world. That was all I ever wanted to do is change the world and this was my vehicle. We had so many first-year dancers this year and it was amazing! I was happy to end it on that note and look out into that crowd at hour 24 and watch all those people who had never experienced such a powerful moment get to experience that for the first time. And that’s what I love; that’s my favorite part.
What are you going to miss?
I think I’m going to miss the community the most. I still obviously have all these friends from DemonTHON and we are friends for life now, but I’m going to miss the on-campus community.
How did you feel when DemonTHON reached its goal of raising $1,000,000?
Oh my gosh, we didn’t think we’d get there. We walked into the event thinking we might not break last year’s total. We had a chat at the beginning of the event and we had agreed that we had done all that we could and said, “let’s keep trying to fundraise during the event, but now it’s about the dancers, the event and the experience – that’s what we need to focus on”. When we were up on stage watching the total go up, we were expecting not to make it and I was most sad for the dancers. If we didn’t make it, I didn’t want them to be disappointed. But by a miracle, the dancers pulled through – they fundraised throughout the event, especially in the last hour – and I think it was so much more impactful because we didn’t expect it. We turned around and saw the total and freaked out! It was really amazing; it was a true moment of miracle.
As a graduating senior, what’s next for you?
I don’t have any distinct plans, but I have a lot of connections within the events industry and the restaurant industry, so I have a lot of choices. My dream is to open my own restaurant, but I also love events, so my restaurant would have an event component. I know that’s a big goal, but I think I can do it! I would like to do that as soon as possible and I’m working toward that goal, but wherever I end up, I hope I am empowering people and developing them.