The Penn State Alumni Association is proud to support THON 2026 in a variety of ways, including sponsorship of the Pep Rally White Out. Learn how alumni can participate, engage, and support students throughout THON Weekend here.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Penn State Alumni Association will sponsor the THON Pep Rally, during THON Weekend 2026, set for February 20–22.

The Pep Rally is among the most popular events at THON, featuring multiple performances by Penn State Athletics teams on stage at the Bryce Jordan Center, appearances by special guests, and an arena-wide Penn State “White Out,” a nod to the annual Penn State football tradition that brings together alumni, students, and friends in a unified show of support. The Alumni Association will provide T-shirts ahead of the Pep Rally at the BJC, commemorating this year’s Pep Rally.

“The Alumni Association is thrilled to once again play a pivotal role during THON Weekend,” Alumni Association Interim Executive Officer Ryan Jones ’95 said. “THON unites the global Penn State community, and our 800,000-plus alumni are proud to support our students in this fight.”

Following the performances, for the third consecutive year, the winning team will receive the Pep Rally White Out Trophy on stage. Amber Thompson, a rising second-year student and Schreyer Scholar majoring in landscape architecture at University Park, created this year’s keepsake in the University Libraries’ Maker Commons, a Teaching and Learning with Technology service. Located within the Media Commons on the first floor of Pattee Library, the Maker Commons offers students free access to 3D printers, multimedia tools and support, workshops, podcasting, video editing, graphic design, and more.

The Maker Commons employs more than a dozen student “Makers-in-Residence,” including Thompson.

“We are a resource for students to make anything that they want to make; from Cricut designs, sticker creation, 3D models and printing, and so much more,” Thompson said. “In my classes, we talk about how to create and design things for people, and that’s what we’re doing here in the Maker Commons. It’s really cool to see how the creative skills and tools that I’m learning in studio connects here, like when it came to designing the pep rally trophy.”

The Bryce Jordan Center usually fills to capacity during the Pep Rally White Out, one of the highlights of THON Weekend. In addition to 15,000-plus Penn Staters inside the BJC, alumni and fans across the world will tune into the livestream, with everything leading to the crowning of a champion—the crescendo of the event, and the culmination of Thompson’s hard work.

“It’s going to be very surreal,” Thompson said. “Something that I spent months working on and designing will be up there in front of everyone during a unifying moment for the University.”