Nicolette Papadopoulos knew from when she arrived at Penn State, she wanted to be involved in THON as much as possible.

Papadopoulos is dancing in her senior year for her sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, after serving on THON committees and taking on roles in her sorority, like co-overall THON chair this year.

While she has always had a calling to THON and is involved with THON families, Papadopoulos is ultimately dancing for her cousin.

“He passed away a few years ago, but he used to live in Greece. So the kind of care that he got, and kids in other countries, it’s not the same as what kinds of opportunities we get here in the states,” she said. “I’ve been able to see what Four Diamonds is able to do, which is just really awesome to be able to witness, and I know that kind of care isn’t available for everyone everywhere.”

Between her personal connections and her sorority’s THON families, Papadopoulos saw the true difference that Four Diamonds makes and the care the children can receive through the power of THON.

She didn’t attend THON in person last year as she studied abroad in Florence, but she still made sure it was a part of her time there. After returning from a weekend trip abroad, Papadopoulos and her roommate from Penn State watched the Final Four livestream from their kitchen counter in Florence.

“We were taking guesses, like maybe it would be 13.5 million, maybe 14, so as soon as we saw the five we stood up and were screaming like crazy. We were crying,” Papadopoulos said. “Our other roommates are like ‘What’s going on?’ And we had to explain this is huge, but since that moment, I was like I really need to dance next year.”

When Papadopoulos was told she was dancing, all she could think about was the dancers before her.

“I knew how much of an impact they made on this path that I wanted to take. Just seeing how much they cared for THON and for our org, I really just want to be like them. They left an impression on me that has lasted for years to come to the point,” she said.

Papadopoulos is excited to not only be on the floor with her friends but to look up into the stands, find her section, take energy from the members of Alpha Xi Delta, and see their excitement.

Papadopoulos shared that while it may be a long 46 hours, it’s only a small fraction of what the kids and their families go through. With a support system around her, just like the support she hopes all the families get, the 46 hours will fly by.