Last year, the Penn State community endured the loss of freshman Courtney O’Bryan when she passed away in a car accident en route to a weekend canning trip. To honor her memory, THON announced the creation of the Courtney O’Bryan Volunteer Award to “recognize the volunteer who most embodies O’Bryan’s charitable work and dedication to THON’s mission.”

Tonight, O’Bryan’s mother graced the THON stage to share a few words about her late daughter to present the first installment of the award to a Penn State student.

“Last year we stood on this stage to announce the creation of the Courtney O’Bryan award for THON in hopes of creating safer canning trips for all Penn Staters,” she said. “To say we are honored that we were honored that the overall committee wanted to create this award in our daughter’s name would be putting it lightly. Knowing Courtney’s name will be forever linked to THON truly warms our hearts.”

O’Bryan went on to describe what the award is all about.

“Compassion for others and for a cause is what I believe this award is all about. Putting a piece of yourself into THON for the kids, for the families, feeling their pain, and giving them a hug,” she said.

O’Bryan read a quote about THON and then presented the award to Sarah Abraham, the author of the quote.

With her arm around Abraham, the two then led a loud “We Are” chant for the Bryce Jordan Center before exiting the THON stage in one of many heartwarming moments to come.