Why I Stand

Happy #WhyIStandWednesday ! This year is my first year at the University of Michigan, my first year being a part of Dance Marathon, and my first year being a Dancer Captain of this organization. I joined Dance Marathon because I wanted to play a larger role in supporting families in need. In addition, as someone who aspires to go into the health care field, helping raise money to support families who are patients at local hospitals is even more meaningful for me. Being a Dancer Captain I have had to step up tremendously and learn not only how to motivate myself but also to motivate others. There is a lot that I learned this year, but there is still so much more for me to learn. I am so grateful for this opportunity and all of the amazing people that I have met through this organization.

Though I have not yet attended a Victorthon and I am very anxious for how challenging standing for 24 hours is going to be. I know that I have found a family of people who support me and help me get through the hours. I also know that my family and friends are rooting for me and are supporting as I embark on this journey.

Being a dancer in Dance Marathon means that I would have to raise $300 before Victorthon at the end of March. But as I dancer captain, I had to raise $350. I was worried that raising this much money would be difficult because I've never raised this much money before (excluding Girl Scout Cookie sales), I didn't know who to ask or how to encourage people to donate their money to this cause. But thanks to the support of my family and friends I not only managed to reach my $350 fundraising goal, I have surpassed it and am now close to raising $500 (another goal I hope to accomplish before Victorthon this year).

Being apart of this organization has meant so much to me. It helped me become more confident in my abilities to achieve anything I set my mind to, and it allowed me to play a large role in supporting others in need. In the beginning of the year, when I thought of Victorthon my mind was clouded with fear and anxiety, but now the only emotions I feel are joy and anticipation.