Positions HeldDance Marathon was such an essential part of my high school experience, so attending a university that had a dance marathon was so important to me. It made such an impact that I joined the High School Dance Marathons (HSDMs) Committee as a Chair during the first day of first-year orientation. Then, the following year, I applied and was selected for the executive board, serving as the Director of HSDMs where I had an amazing time supporting our then seven HSDM programs with developing leadership skills, communication strategies, and cumulatively fundraising $162,801.79 that year. During my third year, I wanted to get even more involved, so I applied to be on the Presidential Board; that year, I had the honor of serving as the Vice President of Membership. In that role, I oversaw all communications to Committee, Participants, Riley Families, Alumni, and potential members. Finally, in my last year of dance marathon, I have the honor of serving as the Vice President of External Relations where lead Campus Outreach, Community Engagement, HSDMs, Marketing, and Public Relations. Through my time on Jagathon, I exceeded my goal of personally fundraising $10,000 for Riley Children Hospital for Children!
Learning Through DM My participation in Jagathon has given me room to develop as a leader and aspiring nonprofit professional in ways that I would have never imagined. The amazing part of dance marathon is that you can get meaningful experiences in so many areas of the nonprofit sector that are transferrable to a career, such as fundraising, grant writing, creating marketing strategies, communication styles, and leadership styles. Over my time in Jagathon, I have learned the importance of effective relationships in leadership. Through my roles, I have communicated with over 1,000 participants and directly oversaw 17 individuals. I've learned that there is not one leadership style that works for everyone, but I always revolve my approach around three values: inclusivity, compassion, and communication. I always have had a personal strategy, but I wanted to solidify this organizationally as well. This led me to begin Jagathon's Communication Plan for the 2019-2020 Jagathon year. I already use skills and experiences that I have learned through dance marathon at my internships and expect that I will continue to use these experiences throughout my entire career.
I can say wholeheartedly that I would not be where I am today and would not have had all of the opportunities I’ve had without dance marathon; it has helped shape where I went to college, how I spent my time, my major, and life plans. I’ve met lifelong friends and incredible mentors. While I can’t promise that DM will change everyone’s life in such a major way, I can promise an impactful experience for anyone involved. It sounds cliché, but there truly is something for everyone in dance marathon. Between all of the committees, teams, and volunteer roles, every person has the opportunity to make dance marathon their “home” while at campus. This has certainly been the case for me with Jagathon. In 2021, Jagathon’s campaign was #2getherFTK in honor of coming together as an entire organization for our 20th Anniversary to support and be there for each other. This is what dance marathon is about. An example of this learning is through the email that is to the left. It is one of the graphics from the Jagathon End of Year Email: 20 Things Jagathon Accomplished in 2020. I am now on the Alumni Team and mentor two current Executive Board members. |