Penn State women’s volleyball player Jocelyn Nathan is standing 46 hours For The Kids in representation of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She’s won a national championship and an Academic All-Big Ten award, but THON is the most rewarding part of her Penn State career so far.

Nathan THONs for her best friend Reena, who was diagnosed with cancer as a freshman. Nathan always wanted to dance for Reena, and now that Reena is finally graduating college and SAAC got a THON family on the team, it felt like perfect timing.

The selection process to represent SAAC was fairly simple for Nathan. She was the first person to express interest when interest forms opened, and the SAAC THON representative inked her name for the weekend. Nathan is proud to represent student-athletes at THON.

“When I come here, yes, I’m representing SAAC, but I do feel like I’m just one member amongst all the people that are representing this community and THON in general,” Nathan said. “So, yeah. I think representing the athletic community is amazing and I fully believe athletes should continue to participate in this amazing and unforgettable experience already.”

Nathan also coaches a club volleyball team, which she said has helped her prepare for THON weekend. She said tournament preparation feels like 12-hour days and told her team to yell at her if they see her sit down. She used her coaching to train herself to stay on her feet, which has paid dividends so far through the weekend.

Nathan’s current experience with SAAC’s THON family came during Athlete Hour last year. It was their first year doing THON, and they bonded right away.

“We actually just recently made a locker for them in our locker room, and we customized jerseys for them. We’ve done Christmas stuff at my house with them, like decorating gingerbread houses. We had a seventh birthday party for the older sister. They’re a part of our family now. They mean the world to us,” Nathan said.

Nathan’s experience with THON throughout the last year has changed what For The Kids means to her. She said it helped her realize how much bigger THON is than just the dancers and the Penn State community. Nathan also didn’t know much about THON traditions heading into the weekend, but she’s excited for the Pep Rally and country hour.

No matter what, though, Nathan credits her THON journey to Reena. Reena’s fight inspired Nathan to truly take the stand against childhood cancer.

“I feel so content. I haven’t stopped smiling since I got here. My best friend Reena is doing most of this with me … I think it’s just made me much more grounded and I feel so much more connected to this community and to the organization as well,” Nathan said.

For anybody on the fence about joining THON next year either as a dancer or in another capacity, Nathan provided some valuable advice and insight.

“Just do it and be excited about it. The excitement is going to get you most of the way through the weekend and there’s no point being nervous. If you’re nervous, just reframe it into being excitement,” Nathan said.