Episode 10 — The Hope Gala

The NYC Hope Gala is a 100% volunteer-led annual gala and year-round fundraising organization established to support the fundraising efforts of Penn State Dance Marathon (THON). Since 2008, The Hope Gala has raised over $1.5 million towards the mission of conquering childhood cancer.In episode 10 of The People of Penn State, Co-Executive Directors of The Hope Gala, Sara Leary Swanson '14 and Ema Gaubaite '10 discussed the origins of the gala, how they each got involved with it and overviewed how the organization has grown in a more virtual world. Timestamps 0:25 — Intro3:02 — Choosing Penn State 4:38 — Activities at Penn State 6:12 — Hope Gala Overview 8:06 — Getting involved with The Hope Gala 10:15 — Information on the 2022 Hope Gala11:21 — Year-long efforts for the organization 13:00 — The gala in a virtual world 15:15 — Annual fundraising efforts16:30 — Favorite aspects of leading the gala 19:04 — Relationship building through volunteering 20:30 — Ad Read21:38 — Lighting Round Questions 31:30 — Outro Visit The Hope Gala's website or follow it on social media:FacebookTwitter InstagramLinkedInLearn more about the Penn State Alumni Association: alumni.psu.edu. Follow the Penn State Alumni Association on:FacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedIn Guest Bios: Sara Leary Swanson is a User-Experience Design Lead at JP Morgan. Her leadership style centers around mentoring and advancing women in the fintech industry and the inclusivity and accessibility of technology. A 2014 graduate, Sara received her B.A. in Integrative Arts and B.A. in Communications from the Pennsylvania State University. She is now pursuing her MBA from Stevens Institute of Technology. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Richard Swanson (PSU class of 2014), and mini Goldendoodle, Brie.  Ema Gaubaite is a Vice President at Capital Group Private Client Service. She works closely with clients providing wealth management services and valuable solutions to high-net-worth families and institutions. Prior to joining Capital, Ema worked at Family Management and FIduciary Trust Company International with a focus on alternative investment research and relationship management. A 2010 graduate, Ema received her B.S. in Economics from Pennsylvania State University and was very involved with THON during her tenure there. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her fiancé, Andrew Gheraldi and Bernedoodle, Guinness. For more alumni stories, visit pennstatermag.com