Grace Morani knew she wanted to dance in THON ever since she came to Penn State University. The fourth-year biology major has been involved since the moment she stepped on campus, and admitted THON was one of the reasons why she decided to come to Penn State.
Last year, Morani donated her hair on stage, and this year, she’s representing her org as a dancer.
Morani is currently a member of a Special Events THON committee, as well as a member of Science LionPride. Morani is representing SLP this weekend as a dancer, alongside one of her friends in the organization.
Morani primarily serves as the alumni and outreach director for SLP, recruiting new students to Penn State.
“Within Science LionPride, we want to focus on recruiting new members to Penn State and to the College of Science,” Morani said. “So we give tours of the size of the building, and we do a lot with our alumni.”
Morani’s main reason for dancing this year was to give back to her THON families.
“I’ve been involved all four years, as a committee member and captain and it’s been incredible, and just like, to be able to have the blessing of meeting all the Four Diamond’s families throughout the years, just made me want to give everything that I possibly want back to them, and stand for them,” Morani said.
As a dancer, a lot goes into getting prepared for THON Weekend. Morani talked about cutting caffeine, getting enough sleep and working out to get her body ready both physically and mentally.
Both Morani and her SLP friend and fellow dancer, Rachel Mamula, THONed to represent their two families: the Makenna Lindsey family and the Ethan Chapman family. When talking about the Makenna Lindsey family, Morani lit up.
“Makenna is so incredible. She’s hilarious,” Morani said. “We love her so much.”
Both dancers were decked out in pink to support Makenna, since it’s her favorite color.
The Ethan Chapman family, on the other hand, just joined SLP a few weeks ago. Ethan is 18 months old and went to his first THON with his sister Eliana.
“Their parents are so sweet, and we’re excited to start building that relationship with them too,” Morani said.
Morani got to share this THON Weekend with her roommate, who was a Dancer Relations captain. She admitted that her favorite memory from THON 2026 was getting to see her and, of course, the line dance they prepared.
“It was really cool to see everything that she’s been working on,” Morani said. “I love the dance break part. That’s always my favorite.”
Morani got emotional talking about what THON means to her and what advice she would give future THON dancers.
“Remember your why,” Morani said. “Whenever it feels tough or if you’re kind of on the fence if you want to do it or not, remember how much you love those families and how much you want to give back to them and how much you love them.”
For freshmen at their first THON, Morani wanted to emphasize enjoying every moment you have.
“Being involved the last few years has really changed my life,” Morani said. “I’ve met my best friends, I’ve gotten to see so many incredible families and give back to them in every way I possibly could.”