This school year, I was lucky enough to serve on the management team for HuskyTHON, UConn’s largest fundraising organization. HuskyTHON is a close-knit community of students who raise awareness and funds for Connecticut Children’s, a free-standing hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. This year-long effort that includes events and fundraising push days culminates in an 18-hour dance marathon during the spring semester. When I went to my first HuskyTHON in 2023, I remember seeing the people on stage wearing their polos and blue jeans. I thought to myself, I want to be one of those people one day! I was fortunate to make that a reality this year when I served as the Director of Hospitality for HuskyTHON 2025. Much of my success and growth can be attributed to the mentors and friends who were on the HuskyTHON 2025 Steering Board. Composed of one executive director and five vice presidents, the HuskyTHON Steering Board oversees the management team and its initiatives and helps make the fundraiser a huge success. As a thank you for their hard work this year, I sought out to interview each steering board member to learn more about their personal experience with HuskyTHON. I call this series: Steering to Success.
Kyle Volo: Vice President of Membership for HuskyTHon 2025
Kyle Volo, a senior special education major, serves as the Vice President of Membership for HuskyTHON 2025. Ask anyone who knows Kyle, and they’ll tell you he is energetic, intelligent, and incredibly kind. He has taken membership this year to a new level with over 4,700 participants. I am positive this is because of his infectious attitude and deep appreciation for HuskyTHON.
Kyle got involved in HuskyTHON through Greek life here at UConn. His fraternity encouraged him to attend during his freshman year, so he decided to stop by. After making the small mistake of wearing Converse to his first HuskyTHON, he decided to leave, change his shoes, and come back to continue and enjoy the fun. While it was nice to change his shoes, he wished he had stayed the whole time. “I remember when I came back two hours later, I was so angry at myself… like wow, I was having so much fun, and I’m instantly having the same amount of fun again.”
What fuels his fire? For this year, it’s the people he does HuskyTHON with.
“It’s 100 million percent them”
Kyle Volo, Vice President of Membership for HuskyTHON 2025
Kyle emphasizes how getting to pick his own subteam and the management team as a whole was an amazing experience. Kyle is extremely grateful for the dance marathon community and the people in it. “The people you meet in dance marathon are some of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet.”
Kyle sees HuskyTHON growing in many ways, whether that be by the number of participants or by activating dancers to raise as much money as they can. Kyle would love to see the Miracle Children involved in HuskyTHON as much as possible, as the day truly is for them. More than anything, Kyle hopes that the “18 hours feels like 10 minutes” for participants and that they continue to have as much fun as possible throughout all 18 hours. Volo will finish up his student teaching and classes during the tail end of his senior year after HuskyTHON 2025 comes to an end. He plans to finish his NEAG School of Education IB/M program and go on to teach full-time once he is finished.
Kyle, to know you is to love you! I appreciate the amazing person you are and the confidence you’ve instilled in this year’s management team. Thank you for steering us all to success. We got to do HuskyTHON 2025 together, and for that, I am forever grateful.
Interested in making a difference? Join HuskyTHON!
Every HuskyTHON participant found HuskyTHON in a different way, and maybe this article is yours. Though HuskyTHON 2025 has come to an end, HuskyTHON 2026 is slowly approaching. If you’re interested in learning more about HuskyTHON and participating here at UConn, feel free to check out our website and follow our Instagram account @huskython to experience some of the HuskyTHON magic. Participants will be able to register in June of 2025 for our next dance marathon, so gear up for another year of fundraising with some of the most inspiring, dedicated people on campus.