Written by Bella Bozied

On April 12, 2025, FSU held its annual Relay for Life philanthropy event in support of the American Cancer Society. This was the first Relay for Life that the College of Communication and Information participated in by joining as a team.

Members from various majors, years, involvements, and schools within the college came together to fundraise and support the team at the 12-hour, all-day philanthropy event held in the student union ballrooms. The team raised over $1,800 and ranked #15 out of 68 total teams across the Tallahassee-wide philanthropy event in its first year.

“I had a great time participating in Relay for Life as it was really fun to table with other members of the CCI community who I wasn’t close with yet,” said Information, Communication, and Technology student Erin Shi who worked the later shift of the event from 10pm until the closing ceremony at midnight.

“I really enjoyed getting to talk with friends while walking around the ‘track’, and it was meaningful to get to listen to cancer survivors tell their stories. While I’ll be graduated and away from Tallahassee for the next FSU Relay for Life, if there is one where I’ll be living in the future, I would definitely like to join again!”

Members were able to join the CCI team through flyers posted around the Innovation Hub and collaborate in the team group chat regarding the theme of the team’s table, the number of Relay shifts they could attend, and whether they could volunteer while running the table, among other topics. The 12-hour event revolves around the idea that cancer does not sleep so neither will we – the CCI table was consistently full with members eager to fundraise for the cause and get further involved in the philanthropy.

The event included different themes centered around the overall event theme of fundraising and working for more birthdays. The event is also set up with each team staffing a table around a ‘track’ which is lined by luminaries, which can be in memory of someone who lost their life to cancer or someone being honored for winning or still fighting their battle against cancer.

Julia Sveen, Information Technology master’s student, worked the table during the event. “I had heard of the event, but didn’t realize how big it was at FSU – it was so nice to see how many students and members of our community came out to support. It felt good to support a cause that raises awareness and funds for something that affects and has affected millions of people worldwide, as well as both my extended and immediate family,” said Sveen. “It was also such a fun event with so many exciting themes and activities, which was helpful when dealing with a difficult topic like cancer. I had a great time and look forward to doing it next year.”

The Relay for Life event incorporates themes, activities, and fun intersections to build connections within and outside of teams. Cancer survivors get the chance to share their personal stories and those in Relay for Life Leadership share the different hours representing different types of cancer, and educate participants on topics related to them, like how often to get tested and why you should get tested.

After fundraising since Fall 2024, the event concluded with a total of $151,465.27 raised for the American Cancer Society from all teams and those who donated. CCI Relay for Life Captain, Strategic Communication master’s student Bella Bozied, was also awarded the ​​Most Organized Team Captain Award at the end of the event.

“Being able to fundraise for such an important cause as part of the first CCI Relay for Life team while building community with other CCI students was such a special experience,” said Fiona Froggett, a Media Communication Studies and Editing, Writing & Media student who previously served on FSU’s Relay for Life Executive Committee as Social Media Chair. “I highly encourage anyone in our college to get involved. My experience being on CCI’s Relay for Life team was one of the highlights of my spring semester, and I can’t wait to see what our team does in the future!”

If you are interested in joining CCI’s Relay for Life Team in 2026, open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters of CCI!