Over 400 candles in paper bags lined the brick pathways between tents on the Upper Quad, as music emanated from a Hopkins a capella group last Friday during the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.
About 140 of these luminaria, candles in paper bags bearing the names of those who battled cancer, spelled out "Hope" on the steps of Gilman Hall. As participants took a silent lap in honor of those who had lost their lives or struggled with cancer, they were rearranged to spell "Cure."
Sixty-three teams registered, totaling to over 900 participants, for the 12-hour event. The teams raised $53,000 of their overall goal of $60,000.
Participants included students from the medical school, Peabody, the School of Public Health, faculty and staff, the School of Nursing and people from the Baltimore community, according to Sarah Sanchez, co-chair of Team Recruitment and Retention.
Lauren Pennachio, the freshman in charge of the luminaria ceremony, felt that it resonated strongly with attendees.
"From what I understand, the luminaria ceremony [at Hopkins] has never been as universal as it was this year. I was on stage talking, but from what I saw, almost everybody stopped to listen, and almost everybody participated," Pennachio said.
"It seemed like there was a lot of unity on the quad. Everybody listened to what was going on onstage, whether it was a performance or ceremony. I know during the survivor lap that everybody was lining the track and following the survivors around."
As relay participants took the silent lap, Pennachio and another girl read the names of all the people on the luminarias as they scrolled past on a screen.
Event Chair Amethyst Auza said that the luminaria ceremony was the "remembrance" component of the Relay's slogan - "Celebrate, remember, fight back."
"The whole idea for the luminaria ceremony is that you're supposed to get the relay to stop and give people the opportunity to stop and reflect on those who have been lost and to remember those who have survived as well," she explained.
"It was very touching, it got you."
As the relay's slogan suggested, the entire event was not somber. Throughout the night, various performers, ranging from a capella groups like the Octopodes and the Vocal Chords to DJs, entertained the attendees.
Another event that provided comic relief was the Ms. Relay competition, where a male from each team dressed up as a female and participated in a beauty pageant of sorts.
"My personal favorite is always Ms. Relay, just because it's so ridiculous and over-the-top," Sanchez said.
"You really see people getting into it, especially the guys who participate. You know that some of them don't really want to do it, but then they get up there and all of a sudden they're talking in a falsetto voice and answering ridiculous questions with ridiculous answers."
Some participated in the relay for personal reasons - in honor or remembrance of friends or family members who had battled or lost their lives to cancer.
Such was the case for Sanchez.
"Since three members of my family have had cancer, it means a lot to me that I can be a part of something that can hopefully find a cure," she said.
Mariadina DiGennaro, captain of Alpha Phi Omega, the relay's second-largest team this year, also lost someone to cancer. She felt that the event provided a good chance for people to share in both their grief and in remembrance.
"My grandfather died from brain cancer, and I had these people come up to me and when you see the last name of a person you know, a bunch of people came up to me and were like 'Oh my goodness, who is that,'" she said.
"I saw one of my friend's names, too. It made it much more personal and made you realize how many people you knew who were affected by cancer."
Other participants, like Lauren Pennachio, had friends whose parents and families suffered from cancer.
"A lot of people on campus don't have cancer or haven't been affected by cancer personally, but cancer is such a huge almost-epidemic that so many people are aware of it, that every person knows at least one or two people who have been affected," Pennachio said.
The relay also featured a survivor ceremony to honor those who had battled cancer.
"We have a big ceremony where we invite survivors from the local community and from on-campus to come to the event, and we honor them through the ceremony. We get to introduce them to the crowd, and we also have a banquet for them," Auza said.
"The Survivor Ceremony was definitely a highlight for me. Last year I was one of the co-chairs for that committee, so I got to plan that out. My mom's actually been able to fly up from Florida for the past two years to attend that, so that's one big thing for me."
"Also to help an organization that helps people in the meantime while they are finding cures; they are not just about the cures, they are about helping people now and doing something," Sanchez said.
Lindsay Tauscher, captain of team Princess Josephina, felt that the event combined an air of solemnity with one of optimism and hope.
"It is somber, but I think that the message is really inspirational, and it encourages us to remember why we're there, but also that we can really do something to fight cancer and that it will be eradicated soon. I think we all agree," she said.
The relay staff made an effort to attract participants from other Hopkins divisions, like the medical school, and from the local community.
Laxmi Pellakuru, co-chair of Team Recruitment and Retention Committee, is a current Ph.D. student at the medical school. She helped to recruit participants from areas other than the Homewood campus.
Some of these participants came from the medical school and the community. Pellakuru also helped to attract cancer survivors and current patients.
Relay staff picked up some patients from Baltimore's Hope Lodge - a home in Baltimore where patients undergoing cancer treatment can stay - and her contacts at area hospitals.
"All the survivors that I talked to were amazed at the number of young people that were out to support them, and they were very impressed with the treatment and attention that they were getting," she said.
"The best part for them, one survivor told me, was to see other survivors. I think they benefited a lot by talking to those who had made it through."
According to Pellakuru, previously a Hopkins undergraduate, this year's relay was more successful than in previous years.
"I've been part of relay basically since it started on the undergrad campus," she said. "I have to say that this year was the best I've ever seen."
While organizers and team captains were happy with the level of participation this year, they hope that next year the relay will grow even more.
"We've definitely seen an increase in people, but it's still not the ginormous event you see on other campuses," Tauscher said.
"As a committee, we're really working hard to make it a true, integral part of the Hopkins community."
Auza said that the event was a good mix between commemorating those who battled cancer and providing a fun event that promoted student involvement.
"Number one, it's a great cause, and number two, it's a lot of fun," Auza said.
"There was someone on our committee this past year who described relay as 'A big party on the quad to fight cancer.' I feel like that sums it up."
