Year: Senior
Major: Communication Sciences & Disorders, Spanish minor
Hometown: Cherry Hill, NJ
HC: What was your involvement with THON prior to becoming a captain?
HW: Before becoming a THON Captain I was a committee member on the same committee, OPPerations, for three years. The latter two years I was an LT, Lieutenant, for my committees which meant I was kind of the “second in command,” or my Captain’s right hand woman for any and all needs during the year. I also participated in a Special Interest Organization, Bee House, for two years and held a chair position within that organization.
HC: Tell me about the moment you found out you were chosen to be an OPP captain.
HW: The day I found out I was an OPP Captain I waited for hours. First, all of the applicants who unfortunately were not selected got phone calls, which started in the late afternoon/early evening. I hadn’t received a phone call and it was already after 10 o’clock so I was starting to get excited by the fact that I hadn’t gotten a “no” yet and my chances for a “yes” were increasing by the minute. But, still having to sit on my couch anxiously waiting was driving me crazy! My roommates were all going to study elsewhere on campus but I was able to convince one of them to hang back at home with me so I didn’t go crazy sitting there waiting. Eventually, after waiting for several hours, I heard a pounding on my front door and my roommate immediately screamed for me, as I was too in shock and excited to move or make a sound. I walked to my front door and saw the OPPerations director standing in the doorway with a big navy blue, OPP colored balloon! There were a few other past Captains there to take pictures and record my overwhelmingly dorky excited reaction. I immediately dove at Andy, the director, and gave him about three big bear hugs before I could catch my breath and let the reality settle in. It was one of the most exciting moments and I could barely keep still after that. He handed me a letter, my balloon and Hershey bar. After a few minutes of celebratory screams and giggles, Andy headed out. I tried to relax but I was too excited and couldn’t even steady my hands to read the letter at first. My three years of hard work finally paid off, and I couldn’t be more excited to start taking on my responsibilities!
HC: What has the transition from committee member to captain been like?
HW: The transition has been overwhelming but in the best way possible. This experience has already pushed me to really perfect my time management skills, my confidence in myself, my THON knowledge and much more. I am learning a lot about myself, about THON and about my own personal position as an OPPerations Captain. Every passing week I develop more respect for my co-Captains, past Captains and Directors of present or past. The amount of time and passion, blood and sweat poured into this philanthropy is like no other. The transition has meant a lot more time devoted to my THON responsibilities and learning to balance school, THON friends, roommates, family life and everything else the best I can. It’s hard sometimes but as long as I remember to take things one step at a time, I can get through the day and continue thriving!
HC: What is your favorite question to ask potential committee members during interviews? What’s the best answer you’ve ever gotten?
HW: My favorite question to ask potential committee members during interviews is, “What outside of THON are you passionate about?” I always feel like this question is a great way to see various aspects of a person’s character. One, it shows me how passionate and driven they are; if there is something else they really care about and put time into, it makes me more confident they can do the same with a THON committee. It also shows me how much the person knows about themselves. Whether I’m interviewing a young, intimidated freshman, or a senior who has done a lot of soul searching and finding herself throughout college, I love to know what people know about themselves and what they think is most important. It’s hard to pick just one best answer but the one I often feel is particularly strong is related to traveling or some kind of arts or music. When people say, and genuinely mean, they are passionate about these activities they are usually very open and expressive people. They are usually good at sympathizing with others and curious about expression of their own thoughts as well as the thoughts of others. Personally, I feel those are great attributes of anyone but especially for those of a committee member about to dedicate a year to getting familiar with 36 other new friends and volunteering to help fight pediatric cancer!
HC: What advice can you give to any committee members who are looking to become a captain next year?
HW: Be passionate! Don’t worry about knowing every ounce of THON knowledge possible, whether about THON history, the responsibilities of a Captain position you want or what have you. If you have the passion and drive to be a strong leader, the rest will fall into place. Passion can’t be taught, but the skills and knowledge can.