During an excursion onto the dance floor in the 17th hour, Onward State met up with dancer and CCSG President Mohamed Raouda for a brief interview. Mo is dancing for Lion’s Paw, and between training for THON, presiding over CCSG, and completing his schoolwork, he’s had a very busy few weeks. This is what he had to say about his experience so far.

Onward State: What made you decide to dance?
Mo Raouda: It’s been one of those things I’ve wanted to do since freshman year, one of the best things to show school spirit on top of our studies. The sacrifice students put into the culmination in this event each year is something I couldn’t miss out on. Seeing these families and these kids so happy is truly wonderful.

OS: Has it been difficult balancing your CCSG responsibilities with training for THON?
MR: Absolutely. Doing the training, getting ready for this and being a student is tough, but it’s for a noble cause so it’s worth losing sleep over.

OS: What has been your favorite part of THON so far?
MR: My favorite thing has been playing water gun wars with the kids. I brought 12 guns for this. You can pull it out of nowhere [as he points his current squirt gun at me]. I think the new features and the line dance are really great this year, too. But yeah, playing with the kids is definitely the best part.

OS: What has playing with the kids been like? Are you currently in the middle of any water gun wars?
MR: Yeah, actually I bought deputy stars for the kids to be like commanders. I’m in the process of recruiting — that’s what the extra guns are for — and we’re going to surround innocent victims like Maggie here [as he grabs his friend Maggie and shoots her with his water gun] and squirt ’em!

OS: How has the support from your friends like Maggie and your moraler been?
MR: Oh, there’s always someone here to make sure that if I feel pain in any way, they’re there to help. This year’s morale team has made it much easier for the dancers.

OS: What is your inspiration for dancing?
MR: For staying awake or for joining THON? For staying awake it’s the kids, friends, students and everyone in this room. I don’t think I could do it by myself or without all the support from my friends. For joining it was THON itself and the experience, and what it symbolizes and embodies.

OS: Is there anything else you can say about how your experience here at THON?
MR: Yeah, I’m just really proud of all these students. It’s definitely been the best one I’ve ever been to, and that’s including the infamous Hope Finds A Way year. I’m proud of the work put in by the commonwealth students and I’d like to thank my CCSG staff and my THON liaison, Colleen Watson, for their dedication. And always remember: family forever.