Name: Lauren Trippetti

Major: Early childhood and elementary education

Previous THON Experience:

THON 2023 — R&R: Pass Committee Member/second in command

THON 2024 — R&R: Event Safety Pass Education Captain

THON 2025 — R&R: Event Safety Head of Pass

What made you want to apply for a director position for THON 2026?

I have been attending THON Weekend since 2017, visiting my sister when she was an R&R Committee Member. I remember being in awe of the number of student volunteers surrounding the Bryce Jordan Center, specifically the ones in red shirts. In that moment, I dedicated myself to the mission and hoped to become a volunteer one day. I applied for a director position in hopes of spreading this mission further across our campus and inspiring those around us. I want to do everything I can to create safe and loving environments so our families can feel comfortable wherever they are with THON. Being a director is a small way to return the favor for the love and hope these families give us. Through their strength, students across Penn State feel empowered and inspired to make a difference and make the most of each moment.

What are your responsibilities as a THON Director?

As the Event Safety Director, I oversee 24 captains who help provide a safe environment at every THON Event. These responsibilities include facilitating traffic control, building entry/exit, floor access, and emergency management. Overall, Event Safety’s mission is to provide secure and welcoming environments for all spectators, dancers, families, and more! 

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

One of my main goals for this year is communication across Event Safety, other committees, organizations, and families. I want all spectators at THON events to see Rules & Regulations as a helpful guide and a smiling face. To do this, I plan on implementing more information nights with organizations to clarify our policies before THON Weekend. These would include entrance plan education, pass system education, and the basics of not only our rules but also why they are in place. Another project we are working on is with the technology committee. We plan to revamp our usage of their sites to improve the spectator experience in the entrance plan and digital line passes. Finally, I am assisting my captains in facilitating new projects such as spectator wellness, event accessibility, and improving existing entry systems.

What makes your committee so cool, fun, and/or important?

Event Safety is so cool because we have the opportunity to work with every committee and spectator type. We work with families and donors for their entry in the 1855 entrance, dancers for their passes, and organizations/general spectators for their entrance and weekend experience. Event Safety is special because we get to secure the magic of THON for thousands of people and make sure they can enjoy their time with us to the maximum amount. The theme I chose for my captain committee this year is “Empower Every Smile.” As we support THON’s spectators and families, our goal is to bring as much positivity and care into every interaction as we can. We truly value the moments we get to share with them, and we want each one to leave people feeling supported, welcomed, and uplifted.

What are the overall goals you hope to reach with your committee for THON 2026?

I hope to see each of the 21 captains with committees inspire their committee members to further their involvement and spread our mission across the world. Rules & Regulations has the biggest committee member base, and I want each captain with a committee to fulfill their positional role and inspire others while doing so. Improving the committee member experience is a constant priority, and I want every R&R Committee Member to see all our captains and me as a resource and a friend. That’s the best part of the “Big Red Fam!”

Why do you THON?

I THON for those we remember in our hearts, those who are currently fighting, and for the future. THON has changed my life tremendously, and if it has affected me so positively, I can only imagine how our families feel. THON brings people out of dark places and is a beacon of hope, and all I want to do is facilitate that hope in more lives.

What’s your favorite THON memory?

This year, I attended a retreat with the Event Safety Captains. During this retreat, we gathered around a fire and exchanged our favorite memories. In this moment, I realized that each moment in THON has been my favorite. Between getting to meet new best friends each year, meeting and bonding with our families on harvest day, and, of course, watching the total go up at the end of the weekend, each memory holds a special place in my heart. Now, this retreat weekend is one of my favorite THON memories because it included a compilation of 24 stories of why we THON and hearing how different families and volunteers have touched our hearts.

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

Brontosaurus, because they’re just a classic, cool-looking dinosaur that often gets confused for a T. rex, but they deserve their own spotlight.