Nina Royer worked behind the scenes of THON for the last four years, and she was finally on the other side this weekend.

For THON 2026, she danced alongside her best friend, Gianna Giorghianni, as part of the Dance Marathon Alumni Interest Group (DMAIG).

Royer graduated from Penn State last spring and was involved with THON every year of her college experience.

She was a Dancer Relations committee member as a freshman and a sophomore, a Dancer Relations captain as a junior, and the Dancer Relations Director last year at THON 2025.

She knew she didn’t want to be done with THON, but she was ready to graduate and pursue med school, so volunteering again as a student wasn’t possible.

She signed up with her partner, Gianna, who had similar interests in becoming involved after graduation.

“We both resonated with each other in that sense, we wanted to do this together.”

The two friends met during their junior year when they both served as Dancer Relations captains.

“I could have the best of both worlds, still graduate and move on from Penn State, but still get to be involved,” Royer said.

To get selected as a DMAIG pairing, you must be the dancer couple that has the top three most fundraising, not a lottery like IDC pairings.

Coming from New York, Royer didn’t know much about THON when she first got here, like many out-of-state students. She was homesick freshman year, and a mentor of hers encouraged her to get involved with THON to find a place to belong.

She submitted her application to be on a committee on a whim and fell in love with it. Her captain was a huge inspiration to her and led her to want to get involved further.

Each year, she felt a bigger calling to get as involved as much as she could and leave her mark on the organization.

As for her favorite memories over the years, she especially loved seeing moments that proved what a year-long effort it was to make THON as special as it is. THON Weekend is the “culmination of everything,” but each event, like Family Carnival and THON 5k, reminded her of the large amounts of planning it took for it all to come together.

She has also had the privilege of witnessing THON grow over five years, longer than many people can say they have been involved. The committees have focused on boosting accessibility and making the experience comfortable for dancers with a variety of backgrounds.

Now that she was the one dancing and not planning out the experience, she admits it is a weird change.

“I’m still trying to process the fact that I’m on this side,” Royer said.

She joked that she has been offering to help her predecessor with anything that may come up, even though her services haven’t been needed yet. Instead, she’s helping remind her fellow dancers and friends to stay healthy and hydrated.

This year, she isn’t in charge of “creating the magic,” instead, it is her own time to experience it.

“I think this is such a beautiful way to cap off my THON experience,” Royer said.