Submitted photo
Mifflin County native Kirsten Milliron poses with the Nittany Lion statue at Penn State-Altoona.

UNIVERSITY PARK — When Kirsten Milliron walked into the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State for the first time during THON weekend last year, she expected noise. She expected crowds. She expected the kind of energy that comes with thousands of college students packed into one arena.

What she didn’t expect was the feeling — the sudden, overwhelming sense that she had stepped into something bigger than herself.

“The Bryce Jordan Center is full of students, and then you see the hundreds of dancers on the floor along with the Four Diamonds Families — you are speechless,” Milliron said. “You have to be there to understand it.”

That moment stayed with her long after the music faded and the lights dimmed. It followed her back to her dorm, into her classes and through the rest of the spring semester. And somewhere in that swirl of emotion, she made a quiet promise to herself: “Next year, I’m going to be down there. I’m going to dance.”

Now, as THON 2026 approaches, the Penn State-Altoona junior and nursing major from Mifflin County is preparing to keep that promise.

A spark that started years ago

Milliron’s THON story didn’t begin in Happy Valley. It began in the hallways of Mifflin County High School, where she participated in Mini-THON — the student-run fundraiser modeled after Penn State’s event.

“I was involved in Mini-THON at MCHS, and that is what led me to join Altoona Benefiting THON,” she said.

Mini-THON gave her a glimpse of the mission. THON showed her the magnitude of it.

Last year, Penn State students raised a record-breaking $17,737,040.93 for Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital — the fourth straight year of setting a new all-time high. More than 700 dancers stood for the full 46 hours. Thousands more volunteered, cheered and supported from the stands.

“It is really hard to put into words what THON weekend is,” Milliron said. “Penn State comes together as a whole for such a wonderful cause. To see the impact we are making not only on the kids’ lives but their families as well is incredible.”

The decision to dance

For Milliron, the decision to dance wasn’t impulsive. It was emotional.

She remembers watching the dancers last year — the exhaustion etched on their faces, the determination in their posture, the way they leaned on each other when the hours grew long. She remembers the families, too: parents holding signs with their children’s names, kids wearing capes, survivors standing tall during the Celebration of Life.

“It was truly life changing,” she said. “I knew I wanted to be part of that.”

The moment that sealed it came at the very end — the total reveal. The arena fell silent, the numbers flipped, and the crowd erupted.

“For me, that’s the highlight,” she said. “It shows the hard work all of us students have put in all year, and to see the amount raised at the end is truly amazing.”

Preparing for 46 hours on her feet

THON dancers don’t sit. They don’t sleep. They don’t stop moving. For 46 hours, they stand — for the kids, for the families, for the mission.

Preparing for that takes discipline.

“They say to cut out all caffeine, exercise and stretch daily and have a consistent sleep schedule in the weeks leading into THON weekend,” Milliron said.

She’s been doing all of it. But she knows the physical preparation is only half the battle.

“It is hard to prepare emotionally for the weekend because it’s filled with so many different emotions,” she said.

There will be moments of joy — the line dances, the family stories, the kids running across the floor. There will be moments of exhaustion — the 3 a.m. slump, the aching legs, the mental fog. And there will be moments that remind her why she’s there.

“During those difficult times during the 46 hours, I will always remember the reason I am dancing,” she said. “One day we will dance in celebration of a cure, but until then I will dance to show my support.”

She won’t be alone. Milliron will be dancing alongside three of her closest friends from Penn State — a built-in support system she knows will help carry her through the toughest hours.

“I think that will be a huge help getting through the weekend,” she said. “And with the support of my family and friends, that will help me get through the 46 hours.”

Looking ahead to THON 2026

THON 2026 will take place Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, Feb. 22 at the Bryce Jordan Center. For Milliron, those dates have been circled on her calendar for months.

She’s ready for the music. She’s ready for the crowds. She’s ready for the emotional rollercoaster that every dancer talks about but no one can fully explain.

Mostly, she’s ready to step onto the floor — the same floor she stared down at from the stands last year — and become part of the movement that changed her.

“It’s a weekend of Penn State coming together as a whole for such a wonderful cause,” she said. “To be part of that, to dance for the kids and their families, means everything.”

In a few weeks, when the lights rise and the music starts, Milliron will take her place among the hundreds of dancers standing For The Kids. And when the final total is revealed, she’ll know she helped write the story behind those numbers — one step, one hour, one moment at a time.

Individually, Milliron is trying to raise $2,500. As of Sunday, she had reached 63% of her goal. As a whole, the Altoona campus hopes to raise $75,000.

For more information or to support Milliron, visit https://donate.thon.org/participants/kirstenmilliron.