Where are you from?
I am from Kearney, Nebraska
What’s your major?
I am Secondary Special Education Major
What is Up Till Dawn?
Up ’til Dawn is a student ran philanthropic event benefiting St. Jude. Participants sign up with a team (6 total members) and commit to raising $100 (or more) for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The event is an over night event (starting at midnight, ending at 6am with a celebratory breakfast) filled with various scavenger like challenges. For example, each team captain would get a text message with a clue for the next challenge or activity. Activities can be anything from frozen t-shirt contest, blind wacky golf, zumbathons, picture challenges, eating contest, etc.! Based upon how the teams place with every challenge they are awarded points and then there is a final team winner at the end!
What inspired you to start this organization?
I am also a member of Delta Delta Delta where I was the philanthropy chairmen (our national philanthropy is St. Jude – locally last year we raised over $36,000) Ever since I joined my sorority, I developed a passion and love for St. Jude and I wanted a way to share it with the whole campus and allow the whole campus to get involved besides just supporting Tri Delta. I became really close with our St. Jude Rep, Audra Fuller and had heard about Up ’til Dawn because University of Nebraska at Kearney had one. After a lot of discussion, I decided I was willing to power through all the tedious paper work and countless emails with our ASUN office to bring this organization to campus.
What is the most rewarding part of Up Till Dawn?
The most rewarding part for our campus’s Up ’til Dawn is hearing students talk about our organization because it is so new. I, along with the other exec board members knew that starting an organization would not be easy and it was going to take a lot to get the word out. After several house announcements to the Greek community, putting on an “Awareness Week” at our Union and spreading the word via social media or mouth we are starting to get a reaction about our organization. Nationally, the most rewarding part of Up ’til Dawn is how much money an individual college student can raise to help a child. $250 dollars can go a long way. For example, when a child is done with chemo, they have “No-Mo Chemo Parties” and $250 dollars can provide a child with one of those parties! Reaching the end of chemo is a huge milestone in a St. Jude patient’s life and knowing that we as college students can help fund those is simply amazing.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years from now I see myself being a Middle School Teacher and working on my masters. Even though my degree is not in anything related to philanthropic, I still plan to do my part and continue to give back to St. Jude and other philanthropies I hold near and dear to my heart. I hope by that time I will be starting my own family as well. I tend to live in the moment and roll with the punches so it’s really hard to plan 10 years in advance.
Describe yourself in three words.
I would have to say passionate, outgoing, and determined.