Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi made an appearance on the stage at THON 2026 right before 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, introduced by THON executive director Ben Roitman.

She started by giving shout-outs to everyone involved in THON, including the students, committees, donors, friend, families, and then kids.

“I want you to give the biggest round of applause to the people we are doing this for, FTK. You represent the best, you represent what it means to be united in strength and passion to make a difference in the world,” she said.

Bendapudi lead a “We Are” chant before exiting the stage.