Happy FOTO meeting Monday everyone! My name is Bailey Zednik and I graduated in 2024. I joined FOTO loosely during freshman year, and then I fully committed my sophomore year when I slid up on someone’s snapchat story and told them the meeting they were at looked fun-the rest is history! I was a general member both my sophomore and senior year, and junior year I was lucky enough (some might say extremely unlucky actually) to be cochairs with Thomas English-we were the MR chairs. Speaking of MR, I’d like to give some advice to the current members-BE ACTIVE IN YOUR SQUADS!!! Please, the MR chairs would greatly appreciate it :)
While there are many fun aspects of being in a club like FOTO, don’t lose sight of why you’re really there-for the kids. These kids have gone through many different groups of Penn State students dedicating their free time to hanging out with them, and trust me when I say, they appreciate it more than you could ever know. Those moments spent with them are some that I will cherish for the rest of my life- bowling with the Tramel brothers and having them roast me for being bad, decorating cookies at Megan’s house for the holidays & running up some kickball, playing what felt like hours of spikeball with Logan in his front yard, or spending time laying on the ground with Brooke waiting to get tagged at family field day. The kids might not remember your name, they might not remember specific memories you guys had together, but they will definitely remember the happiness that you bring them just by showing up. It’s crazy to say it, but you really do learn some important lessons spending time with these kids. Most importantly, never leave your phone, ID, credit cards, or anything else valuable unattended around the Tramels.
At THON my junior year, I had decided about a month prior that I was going to do the 46 hours in the stands. Not only did I want to push myself to my limits for these kids and this organization, but it really resonated with me that these 46 hours are NOTHING compared to what our THON children have gone through. And I can say with absolute certainty that it was so worth it. You don’t have to be the most outgoing or social FOTO member, you do not have to go to every event (but you should totally try), and you do not have to raise the most money-but EVERYBODY in this organization plays a part. Every little thing you do for this organization matters, whether you think so or not. I’m sure you’ve heard other alum say this as well, but you really do get out of this organization what you put into it. I went into this club not really knowing what to expect, and I left with new friends (shoutout FOTO for bringing me Hannah Whang), new memories, and a new passion.
When I say to never take any second of college for granted, I truly mean it. Everyone says these four years fly by, and you really think they’re kind of full of it. Let me tell you, I didn’t believe people when they said that either-and then in the blink of an eye, I woke up on my final day of class during my second semester senior year, and thought to myself “this is really it”. That being said, you never want to leave college wishing you did more. So do it now. Go to the squad hangout. Participate in the icebreakers. Join an IM team (wrecking crew FTW). Grab some friends and go to the HUB fundraisers. Go to the bake sales, car washes, overnights, and family visits. The time is now to immerse yourself in this cause, because there truly is nothing else out there like it. On that note, have a great meeting Monday!
PS. Please make Vincent do the icebreaker if it hasn’t happened yet.
