For most students, finishing a degree at Penn State means closing a chapter. For World Campus students Robert Billings and Jenna Baker, it meant logging off from full-time jobs, returning to State College, and stepping onto the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center for 46 hours at Penn State THON.

Both balanced careers and coursework online. Both had already spent years at University Park. And both said nothing — not exhaustion, not nerves, not even the reality of graduation — compared to dancing For The Kids.

A Tangible Impact

Billings, a software engineering senior graduating in two months, began his Penn State career at University Park before moving to Detroit for a full-time job. His employer promised him a position as long as he completed his degree, so he transitioned to Penn State World Campus to finish his coursework while working.

His connection to THON, however, began long before online classes.

As a sophomore walking through the involvement fair at University Park, Billings discovered the student organizations that fundraise year-round for THON. He joined Axis and quickly realized the scope of THON.

“You can really see Penn State’s impact on the families,” Billings said. “It felt like something tangible.”

Although he had been involved before moving online, becoming a World Campus dancer deepened the experience. Last year marked his first time standing for 46 hours. He described the weekend as a blur of adrenaline and anticipation.

“You see THON and visit THON, but you just know it’s a different feeling,” Billings said. “You have no clue what to expect.”

This year felt different. He understood the toll it would take, he knew exhaustion would creep in, and emotions would hit harder.

“The physical part isn’t the hardest,” he said. “It’s the mental.”

Last year, four World Campus students danced. This year, it was just him and Baker. In the early morning hours, the two fought off sleep, occasionally bumping into one another as they tried to stay upright.

“It was electric,” Billings said. “Everyone is beyond exhausted, but they’re fighting so hard. It’s this buildup of emotion to the total reveal.”

When the final fundraising total is announced and volunteers are relieved of their duties, the arena shifts into students collapsing into hugs and friends find one another in the crowd. For Billings, that moment represents months of fundraising and years of commitment.

“How do you describe a feeling to someone when there are tens of thousands of people there to fundraise?” he said.

The Hardest Goodbye

One of Billings’ toughest moments had little to do with sore feet.

During THON Weekend, his dad surprised him with a visit to the Bryce Jordan Center.

“It was really hard to say goodbye,” Billings said. “You’re there, and your family is there, and it’s hard to say goodbye and to keep pushing through.”

Because he had experienced University Park firsthand, he did not have to explain the tradition. They could see it for themselves.

Now working full-time in Detroit, Billings often finds himself explaining THON to coworkers, which serves as a reflection of how deeply the experience stays with Penn Staters long after graduation.

The thought of watching from outside the window is difficult, he said, but he would return in a heartbeat.

“I have so much pride and enjoyment being in one of the student orgs,” Billings said. “Even though I’m not going to be an undergrad anymore, it’s still so meaningful. The mission still goes on even when you graduate.”

He credited fellow THON leader Braden Fleagle for strengthening World Campus involvement and helping online students feel connected.

“It’s difficult to connect online,” Billings said. “But even if students haven’t been to Penn State, they can connect over this.”

Soaking It All In

For Baker, THON has shaped both her college experience and her career path.

After graduating from University Park in May 2025, she began pursuing her master’s in strategic communications through World Campus while working 30 hours a week as an intern for Four Diamonds, THON’s sole beneficiary.

“One part of my job is going to bell-ringing ceremonies for a child celebrating the end of treatment,” Baker said. “Seeing firsthand what they go through every day, it’s such a small sacrifice standing on your feet for 46 hours.”

As an undergraduate, Baker served as a THON captain for three years. In her junior year, she was an Entertainment captain, where she was introduced to the idea that involvement could continue beyond a traditional campus schedule.

Last year, she served as a Dancer Relations captain, helping coordinate dancers’ experiences — including their run through the human tunnel at the start of THON Weekend. This year, she ran through it herself.

“It’s so different because this year it is thrown for you,” she said. “THON Weekend is a testament to everyone involved.”

After believing her senior year would be her final THON as a student, Baker approached this weekend with a different perspective.

“My motto was soaking it all in and getting involved,” she said.

Around 9 a.m., exhaustion finally set in. She intentionally avoided caffeine and kept track of time mentally. The lack of sleep felt heavier than the physical strain.

“It’s a big mental game,” Baker said. “If you can keep yourself together mentally, you can fight through the physical.”

During a low point, she ran into a Four Diamonds family whose journey she has followed closely through her internship. The interaction grounded her ahead of Family Hour, one of the most emotional parts of the weekend.

Family Hour honors children who have battled or lost their lives to cancer. Baker said those moments were the hardest, not because she wanted to sit down, but because she wanted to fully honor each family.

“Forty-six hours is such a short amount of time when you think about what all these families are going through,” she said.

Grounding herself in that mission carried her through the final stretch, including performing the last five line dances on stage.

“It’s electric,” Baker said. “There is no way to describe it.”

“It was solemn and bittersweet,” she remarked on this being her last THON as a student.

Connected Beyond Campus

For both dancers, participating as World Campus students shows directly how far the Penn State community extends beyond University Park.

They gave up days and sleep, juggling careers and graduate coursework to return to the campus for a cause that has defined their time at Penn State.

“Both of us work full time,” Billings said. “Giving up those extra hours, it’s meaningful.”

Even after graduation, Baker “100% plans to return,” despite the required line dances.

“I wouldn’t have to go back for work,” she said with a laugh. “But I have to go back until 2030 for the line dances.”

For both dancers, THON is not just an event. It is a commitment that goes beyond campus boundaries, job titles, and graduation dates.

And as long as children and families continue their fight, they said, they will keep showing up.