My name is Hayden Cruz and I am a sophomore journalism major. I came to Kent State because I was looking for a school with a great campus atmosphere!
On campus, there are many excellent opportunities related to leadership, which is great because I was so heavily involved in leadership in high school. In one of those groups, the Provost Leadership Academy, two members mentioned another group on campus called Flashathon.
Flashathon is a student organization run through the Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon. What we do is fundraise throughout the year to benefit the miracle kids at Akron Children’s Hospital. Then, at the end of the second semester, we have our dance marathon where we celebrate our work, our miracle kids and announce how much we raised.
This year our total came out to over $17,000!
I decided to take a swing at joining this year and took up the Greek Relations Chair position, which meant that I got in touch with all Greek Life on campus to see if they would like to participate in Flashathon.
It was so exciting getting to hold this position because it helped me branch out to a lot of new people and organizations. Anyone can join Flashathon and help fundraise with us. Getting to meet new people through this organization was awesome, and I remember reaching out to the Flash Activities Board (FAB) about working together on an event they had, and they said yes, and now I am really close with the FAB team all thanks to Flashathon!
I remember I got a late start to Flashathon, but throughout the year, I began my fundraising journey. I had a Facebook fundraiser which raised over $500 alone, and I remember getting my first $100.
I actually started tearing up because even just getting $100 meant a lot to me knowing it was $100 more to the miracle kids.
We definitely try to make as many events as we can throughout the year, mainly fundraising events with off-campus organizations, because our main focus is our event at the end of the year. Our biggest fundraising pushes were pie-in-the-face events, which we did twice, and both times I got pied several times. It was gross and sticky, and I didn’t eat whipped cream for about a month after the first time, but it was so rewarding knowing that doing something so small was making such an impact for these kids.
Another thing we did, which was so much fun, was our holiday party around December where I got to meet some of our miracle kids for the first time and make paper snowmen with them, play giant Jenga and learn about every version of Mario from Super Mario Bros.
Being with Flashathon has given me a family at Kent State most of all, but it has also shown me that being at college is not just about getting a degree for myself.
It showed me that I can spend my time here doing something good for kids who need it.
It also gave me that childhood wonder back again. Being a college student and worrying all the time about grades and assignments, you start to put yourself in these adult shoes and just have this one day where you could be a kid again and dance around with my friends and our miracle kids. And play with puppies from 4Paws and talk with Disney Princesses with our miracle kids.
Hearing them giggle and seeing them smile for just a couple hours one day changed everything because it showed me that you can’t take everything so seriously, and sometimes you have to spend your day feeling like a kid and just enjoying being in the fun space you are in.
I think taking up the position has helped me with my overall leadership because it helped me work with a group and not focus on a short-term goal.
We worked for the entire school year to make a lasting event for us and those who came, and it took time and effort, but we did it together and worked hard to see it happen. After the main Flashathon event, it was such a proud accomplishment for all of us and I could not be prouder of everyone I worked with, and the memories we created I will cherish for a lifetime.
My advice to high school seniors thinking about attending Kent State is well, 1: if you like dancing and fundraising for a great cause, then join Flashathon! And 2: get involved anywhere on campus. I truly think what shapes a college experience is getting involved whether it is with something you are familiar with or something that may be completely out of your comfort zone.
Always be willing to try and explore all options because it is in what you get involved with that you will create lasting friendships and make meaningful memories.