Liberal Arts student serves as THON 2024 alumni engagement director

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Hailing from Parker, Colorado, Julia Jakuboski, a fourth-year student in the College of the Liberal Arts, has emerged as a beacon of leadership and dedication. The political science major with double minors in sociology and Middle East studies currently serves as the THON 2024 alumni engagement director, fostering connections between the University and its vast network of supporters. However, her commitment to service at Penn State extends back to her first year of college.

Jakuboski’s Penn State experience began in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic led to her first year of college being online. However, undeterred by the circumstances, Jakuboski joined State of State, a student organization dedicated to facilitating dialogue on critical Penn State issues.

“Through State of State, I entered discussions about bringing change to campus issues, and I got to see the actual differences in our community created by the work of my peers,” Jakuboski said. “I never really understood before coming to a big school that students could have such an impact here and that has inspired the rest of my studies and involvements at Penn State.”

Coming to campus her second year, Jakuboski became the organization’s internal director and was responsible for the club’s recruitment efforts. Using her experiences with enhancing student engagement within the club, Jakuboski entered the role of executive director in her third year, where she coordinated opportunities for students, activists and speakers to give talks about change to the State College community through conferences, coffee talk meetings and speeches.

“My State of State experience continually reinforced to students the idea that if you truly want to make a difference on this campus and in the State College community, you need ideas that have a call to action and a platform to make change happen,” Jakuboski said.

With this mindset, Jakuboski looked for more ways to make change for the betterment of others.

“At the same time I had begun to take on leadership in State of State, I had just joined my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi and learned about THON,” Jakuboski said. “I remember watching the THON 2021 virtual livestream with my parents and seeing the final four and feeling so inspired by that and knowing that I wanted to get involved in THON, too.”

After applying to get involved with THON the following year, Jakuboski was put on the entertainment committee, where she was mentored by two captains who taught her how to bring people together in the community.

“My two captains were the ones who empowered me to continue my THON journey and try out for different roles,” she said. “They showed me how I could make a difference that is so much bigger than myself and greater than anyone else here at Penn State, which I cannot put into words.” 

The following year, Jakuboski applied once again to THON and said she had the “absolute privilege” of leading her committee as a donor and alumni relations captain for THON 2023, where she led other students in stewardship donors — writing hand-made thank-you notes, calling donors to talk about the Four Diamonds story and giving tours of the Bryce Jordan Center for donors to see the “behind-the-scenes magic” of the different committees before THON weekend began.

“Stewardship for donations is essential, especially in the past couple of years, for donor retention as we see a trend of long-term growth for donations with people coming back and supporting our mission every year,” Jakuboski said. “It is so special when we show individuals or companies the magic of Four Diamonds and THON because it often inspires them to join our efforts.”

Jakuboski’s experience in the donor and alumni relations committee as a captain culminated in her current role as the THON 2024 alumni engagement director. In a new initiative for expanding THON’s reach, 2024 is the first year in which Penn State alumni can fundraise for THON on Donor Drive on behalf of their Alumni Association group or the past organizations they were involved in. As a result, in her position, Jakuboski acts as a liaison between donors, alumni and the broader Penn State community, striving to create meaningful connections and support for childhood cancer research.

“I work very intimately with Penn State alumni who work hard to continue the fight against childhood cancer, and the most amazing part of this is that alumni who live 3,000 miles away from State College, alumni who graduated when THON was created in 1973 and alumni who just graduated two years ago, all hold the same passion that current students have,” Jakuboski said. “There are so many alumni chapters that support THON, and nearly every big city, especially on the East Coast, has alumni chapters that put on so many fun events for THON, such as football watch parties, galas, baking sales and restaurant fundraisers. Getting involved in THON is so much easier for alumni now, and their response to it shows how Penn Staters’ involvement with THON is not something that just ends at graduation, which is inspiring.”

For alumni who are interested in getting involved with THON but don’t know where to start, Jakuboski recommended just talking about THON with others, whether it’s online or in person.

“Continuing to talk and share about THON’s mission to friends and family or on social media helps spread the magic of THON and our mission, which is so impactful when you recognize that the network of Penn State is so vast and supportive across the country and the world,” Jakuboski said.

Reflecting on her experiences as a director, Jakuboski emphasized that THON highlighted to her the importance of “commonality as a goal to drive change,” something she plans to bring to her future career and her journey to graduate school after graduation this May. 

“I want to continue to get involved in whatever campus or whatever city I end up in for graduate school and truly develop a network of people who share a common goal to support because I’ve realized how much of an impact a team can make when united behind something you support,” Jakuboski said. “I want to do work in the future that prioritizes doing what’s better for the greater good of humanity.”

As Jakuboski looks to THON 2024 and her postgraduate plans, she quoted the words of Charles Millard, one of the Four Diamonds' co-founders: "When we do things for ourselves, they die with us. When we do things for humanity, they live on forever."

“Even if I am just a drop in the bucket somewhere, helping start change makes a ripple effect — and this is the same for any student,” Jakuboski said. “What we do is never too small, so stay involved and follow your passions because together, we can make a difference in this world for the better.”

The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) will return to the Bryce Jordan Center from Feb. 16–18. As the world’s largest student-run philanthropy, THON raises millions of dollars to fund childhood cancer research for Four Diamonds each year.

Dancers will stand at 6 p.m. on Feb. 16 and remain standing for 46 hours. The weekend will be complete with performances, activities and line dancing — which are all made possible by THON’s directors who comprise the executive committee.