Sitting down with Anthony Stranges, a fourth-year in Management Information Systems, it is easy to see how he has created his own extraordinary experience here at The Ohio State University. When asked why he chose Ohio State, his answer was one that is heard often. From nearby Blacklick, Ohio, Anthony exclaimed that he has “always been a Buckeye!” His parents and sister all attended Ohio State and he decided to follow suit.

After interning this past summer at Cardinal Health as a Business Analyst, Anthony is taking the reigns as BuckeyeThon President to help bring one of the biggest philanthropy events at Ohio State to life. Anthony himself is a pediatric cancer survivor, inspiring his motivation to lead and serve. Anthony shared that BuckeyeThon is a way to give back the support that was given to him and his family when they needed it most. Because of his own experience, he knows that the mission of BuckeyeThon really makes a difference.

Anthony hopes students here at Ohio State use BuckeyeThon and other opportunities as tools to find what they’re passionate about, too. Because philanthropy plays an important role in the daily lives of students – from large events like BuckeyeThon, MLK Day of Service or Community Commitment, to smaller events and organizations that are solely focused on giving back – finding what you’re passionate about can be easy. So what advice does Anthony have for incoming Buckeyes? “Get involved. Explore everything! The Ohio State University has so much to offer, so go and explore to find your passion, whatever it may be.” It is also no surprise that Anthony’s passion is to give back. He loves to help others and has found the time to volunteer at the Wexner Medical Center. Along with volunteering, he holds a job at the Advancement Office where he works with computer systems that are used campus-wide.

On a typical warm afternoon, you can find Anthony taking a break outside from his many campus-wide involvements. He says that Mirror Lake was the place he first visited on campus, so it’s fitting that he likes to go back to there and reflect on his journey at Ohio State. “It’s a great place to go to get away from the busy campus life,” said Anthony.

Here in Student Life, we are excited to see what Anthony will do to take BuckeyeThon to new heights this upcoming year. If you’d like to learn more about BuckeyeThon and get involved, visit: https://buckeyethon.osu.edu/.