Year: Senior
Major: Biology
Hometown: Lansdale, PA
Relationship Status: Single
HC: If we asked your friends to describe you in three words, what would they be?
TM: Goofy, charasmatic and compassionate
HC: Describe Penn State in one word.
TM: Balls-to-the-walls
HC: Do you have a nickname? If so, what is it, and how did you get it?
TM: One time my friend called me ‘tmultha,’ but I made sure that didn’t stick. So far the best nickname I’ve gotten is ‘Tom’.
HC: When you walk into the room, what is the song that is playing?
TM: ‘Superstition’ by Stevie Wonder. It’s an oldie, but when I walk into a room, I expect to hear a good beat, and that song always makes me want to dance. It is probably a song I would never get tired of listening to.
HC: If the Phyrst named a drink after you, what would it be called?
TM: There already is one. It’s called a Trashcan.
HC: What is your go-to Gaffaoke song?
TM: I’ve actually only been to Gaffaoke once, so clearly I have to step up my karaoke game. If I had to pick a song to sing, it would probably be ‘Billie Jean’ because I mean, who doesn’t love a good MJ song?
HC: We see you’re graduating this year. What are your plans for after college?
TM: I honestly don’t really know what I want to do for the rest of my life, so my plans after graduation are a little up in the air. I think I want to go to grad school or med school, but I would definitely take a gap year before I went on to any of that. In that gap year, I would want to do things that I probably would never have the chance to do again, like travel, be a bartender for a bit or even apply for the reality TV show Big Brother. I would like to go with the flow for a little bit before I buckled down for grad school.
HC: If you could have any job in the world, what would it be, and why?
TM: The one thing that I have always loved to do is perform, so if I could be a performer in any sense, that would be my dream job. I love to take an audience into a moment and out of their daily lives. Using the talents I have to make someone smile or laugh makes me very happy because I was able to make a positive difference.
HC: If you could give your freshman self a piece of advice, what would it be?
TM: I would tell my freshman self to pick a major. I was undecided for the longest time, and it was really stressful not knowing what direction to go in. Knowing what I know now, I would have told my freshman self to try to double major in biology and nutrition. I don’t even know if that is possible, but my freshman self would have figured it out.
HC: THON committee applications came out the other day, and we hear you’ve been involved with THON for the past three years. What are you most excited about for this year’s THON?
TM: Just the other day my friend texted me on a whim and asked me if I wanted to independently dance with her. This question really took me back because I knew coming into my senior year that I wanted my last THON experience to be very special, but at the time, I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that. After thinking about the prospect of dancing, I became really excited about the potential difference I could make for THON 2016. Now that independently dancing this year is a real thing, I cannot wait to see what is in store for my last THON journey!
HC: What is your favorite part about being a DRCM?
TM: I love the perspective that being a DRCM gave me. In my time as a DRCM, I became so in awe at the things THON is able to accomplish each year. I have never felt more inspired and humbled than when I am on the BJC floor looking around at the crowd of Penn State students supporting children with cancer. My experiences as a DRCM have shown me how blessed I am and have given me the desire to give back to others in any way possible.
HC: What was your favorite moment in THON from the past three years?
TM: Over the past three years, I have given so much of my time to THON, and I have loved every minute of it. I treasure all of the memories I have made through this organization, but the THON 2014 reveal stands out in my mind as one of my most significant THON experiences. THON 2014 was during my sophomore year and this was the first time I had signed up for a committee and dedicated all my extra time to working with Atlas. When the total was revealed that year, the one thought that kept running through my mind was, ‘I cannot believe how many lives we just changed right now.’ Seeing that total took all of the emotions out of me. In that moment, I understood that we not only had saved the lives of so many suffering children, but also the lives of those children’s fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends. Cancer had taken away a part of their souls, and the work we accomplished that year helped give that part back. The THON 2014 reveal was definitely a special moment in my life.