Name: Sammy Papik
Major: Engineering Science

Past THON Experience
THON 2018 – Merchandise Committee Member
THON 2019 – Merchandise Order Management Captain
THON 2020 – Merchandise Special Event Sales Captain

Name an interesting, weird, or quirky fact about yourself:

I have a picture of me from when I was younger displayed in a museum.

What made you want to apply for the Merchandise position for THON 2021?

I wanted to be a Director for THON due largely to my genuine love for serving people around me. THON is not just a club I got involved in during my time here at Penn State. It is not just another organization out fundraising, another meeting to go to, or another article in a paper to me. THON is a living and breathing philanthropy that is a family of thousands of volunteers and supporters who consistently put aside their own time and well-being in a fight bigger than themselves.

I wanted to be a director because I have seen the magic this organization can create first-hand, and I knew I wanted to give all I could to grow and spread our mission to the ends of the Earth. I aim to spread THON’s mission and raise money through the sale of quality products, enhance customer experience, and create new opportunities through new relationships throughout this year.

What are your responsibilities as the Merchandise Director?

As the Merchandise Director, my responsibilities include managing the design, order, sale, and distribution of all THON apparel. Throughout the year, I will work with 20 Captains and 50 Committee Members to run the THON Store in the HUB, which acts as a physical store for customers and a center of distribution for thousands of online orders each year. I will also oversee the online THON Store. By creating a variety of apparel for special events and for THON Weekend, the Merchandise Committee and I are able to provide a means through which everyone can support THON and spread awareness.

What do you want to implement in your position this year that’s unique and differs from years past?

Even before the many changes that have come about due to COVID this
year, a main goal of mine was to increase the usage of the online THON Store and tap into its full potential. We are so fortunate to have a state-of-the-art website with so much potential for growth, which will allow us to continue to fundraise and spread awareness even further than before. Additionally, this year we have begun to collaborate with other areas of THON more than ever, allowing more opportunities for THON Merchandise, the THON Brand to get out into the world.

What makes the Merchandise Committee so cool, fun, and/or important?

One of the best aspects of the Merch Committee is the work we get to do. We
get to run sales at events and work in the THON Store, and with that comes
the opportunity to meet and talk to some of the most incredible people. We have the chance to talk to so many different people in the THON community and it is truly something special.

Another awesome part of Merch is the fact that we are so small. Merchandise is only about 50 people total (Captains and committee members combined) so we get to form really tight bonds with everyone throughout the year, which creates a family-like atmosphere that is such a blessing to be a part of.

What are the overall goals you hope to reach with your committee for THON 2021?

This year, my goal is to expand the reach of the THON Store while continuing our growth as a professional retail store. We have put a heavy emphasis on our online store this year, which includes introducing new technologies to not only keep our functions running smoothly, but that also enhance the overall clientele experience. We will continue to work on improving our professionalism through our social media presence, updating our online store, keeping detailed financial records of all sales and events, and strategizing the design of our products and their release. By doing so, we hope to maintain our presence as a reputable, credible, and dependable retail store.

Why do you THON?

It is hard to list just a few reasons why I THON, but ultimately I THON for their futures. I am so incredibly blessed to have had the childhood I did and the opportunity to grow up, and I believe from the bottom of my heart that every child should have that. Like I mentioned above, THON is not just an organization to me, but so much more than that, and seeing firsthand the impact we have on the families and volunteers we support only adds to the reason I am here every day.

What’s your favorite THON memory?

My favorite THON memory goes back to my first THON as a captain. It was during Final Four, and I was up in the stands with my Merchandise Captain Committee, and all together we stood arms around each other and just listened to a family speaker. We stood as a united organization, thousands of people from different backgrounds all together for one cause. The speaker made a comment of how “THON won’t stop because we are tired, we will stop when we are done,” which will stick with me forever. It was such a powerful moment to me of knowing all that we had done during the year was making a difference and a just as powerful reminder that we still
had so much yet to do.

Per Onward State tradition, if you could be any dinosaur, which one would you be and why?

Definitely a stegosaurus. I don’t have a great explanation for this, but back in grade school I remember having to do a project on a dinosaur and I did mine on the stegosaurus and decided it was my favorite from there on out.