STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It's been said that age is just a number.
Danielle Ray is 50 years young, making her the oldest dancer to ever participate in THON, Penn State's 46-hour dance marathon that gives back to kids with cancer.
"You can do it," Ray said. "It doesn't matter your age or where you are in life. When you really set your mind to something, you can. Especially for a cause that you're passionate about, it's going to drive you and give you the energy to get through anything you want to."
She's graduating online with her MBA in just a few months. But she's no stranger to the Nittany Lions—she completed her undergrad and first took part in THON decades ago.
"I learned about it though my sorority, and I didn't have the chance to be as involved as I wanted to be, and I didn't have the chance to dance," Ray said.
This time around, she not only danced but also acted as the World Campus Executive Chair.
"And to be able to do that, to have that passion that I’ve carried for close to 30 years from when I went until now, has been amazing," Ray said.
THON raised a record-breaking $16.9 million dollars this year! And Ray's team raised more than $17,000 alone.
"You start to realize that anything you went through in that 46 hours was totally worth it when you see that amount," Ray said. "The more we do this, the more kids we can help, the more families we can help."
She says the experience is something she will never forget.
"We all get behind this one thing we're all passionate about, and people, the other dancers brought me in—someone with not nearly as much experience as them," Ray said. "They were able to realize the accomplishment and also sit there and say, 'we want more people like you to care about it and still be passionate about it, all these years later.'"