Relay for Life might be an all-nighter fundraising event — but almost an hour before its start, Northeastern students broke last year’s record for money raised for the American Cancer Society. 

By 5 p.m. the night of the event March 21, Northeastern’s Relay for Life teams had already raised nearly $175,000, and by the end of the 12-hour event at Matthews Arena, the fundraising totaled over $202,000, surpassing the $190,000 goal. 

Relay for Life, which culminates in an overnight event from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. where students walk the track and participate in activities, raises money for the American Cancer Society, or ACS. ACS is dedicated to ending cancer and providing support to people and families with cancer, according to its website. Fundraising takes place over the course of the year leading up to the event. 

“Something that happens a lot at Northeastern is people say there isn’t much tradition,” said Liv Coyne, a fourth-year behavioral neuroscience major and event experience lead of Relay for Life at Northeastern. “This is one event that really unifies everyone and shows the true power that we have.”

 This year is Northeastern’s 16th Relay for Life, and students continue to pack the arena year after year. Over 465 universities and colleges participate in Relay for Life. Northeastern was the No. 1 university in the country for money raised for the second year in a row.

Northeastern also had more participants than any other university, with nearly 2,000 students in attendance. 

The event began with the opening ceremony. Participants sat in the center of the track in Matthews, and survivors of cancer and caregivers joined speakers at the front. Relay for Life volunteers thanked everyone for attending and welcomed the first event speaker, Chancellor and Senior Vice President for Learning Ken Henderson, to the stage. 

“Northeastern is a place of action,” said Henderson, who is a cancer survivor. “Showing your passion, your desire to make change is really inspiring, so thank you.” 

Henderson, who spoke at the event last year, continues to show his support and passion for the event every year. 

“Thanks to all of our amazing student organizers who put together this amazing program,” he said. “And, of course, tonight is for fun, so enjoy yourself and have an absolute blast.”

After Henderson spoke, the crowd heard from Bella Conti, a third-year behavioral neuroscience and criminal justice combined major and Five Star chair for Relay for Life at Northeastern. She said she relays for her friend Emily, who was diagnosed with bone cancer their freshman year of high school and passed away in March 2024. Conti also relays for her mom, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. 

“I relay for the kids like Emily and parents who struggled emotionally and physically with cancer to expand access to 24/7 support lines so no one is ever facing this alone, for people who need to receive care miles away and have limited access to housing and transportation, and to work toward ending cancer as we know it,” she said. 

Survivors then took the first lap around the track, caregivers took the second, and then remaining participants were invited to join for the third lap. 

Students involved in Relay for Life at Northeastern work year-round to volunteer for ACS, and much of their work is concentrated into preparing and garnering excitement for the event, which includes doing outreach to encourage students and on-campus organizations to form teams. 

This year, Northeastern had 71 teams participating — up from 66 last year — many of which were considered Five Star teams. Throughout the academic year, a list of Five Star opportunities is released, and when a team checks an opportunity off the list, like a social media fundraiser or volunteer event, they get a star. 

“[Five Star teams are] the most engaged teams,” said Emma Sansom, a fourth-year criminal justice and political science combined major and executive director of Relay for Life for Northeastern. “They’ve helped us out all year long.” 

While many of the top teams are made up of fraternities and sororities on campus, anyone is eligible to start a team and participate — whether the team is made up of two people or 50. 

“This is one of the first years that we’re majority not [Fraternity and Sorority Life], which is really exciting,” Sansom said. Sansom and other Relay for Life volunteers spend the year leading up to the event doing “club visits” to urge student groups to form teams, including club sports, the Northeastern Dance Team, NU DogHouse and more. 

“[Relay for Life] brings together not just the whole [Fraternity and Sorority Life] community, but also the Northeastern community as a whole,” said Sophia Naumovski, a fourth-year environmental studies and international affairs combined major and member of Delta Phi Epsilon. Delta Phi Epsilon, which is a Five Star team, raised the second-most money of any team March 21. It was narrowly passed by Alpha Epsilon Pi, which raked in $15,640 by the end of the event. 

Naumovski, like many other Relay for Life participants, knows what it’s like to have a family member or close friend fight against cancer. “I think everyone who works for Relay does a really good job putting together a fun but also really inspiring event,” she said. 

Naumovski said that, although a long night, the event programming at Relay for Life makes the night fun and fly by. 

Event programming included a sleeping bag race, hula hoop toss, stuff-a-bear and karaoke. At midnight, at every Relay for Life, attendees participate in the Luminaria ceremony, a candlelit ceremony where names of people who have passed away from cancer or are currently fighting it are placed on the track and participants walk to honor them. 

“I feel like the older I get, the more I realize cancer is all around me, and it’s a cause that’s important to everyone,” Sansom said. “It’s something unifying. We can all celebrate this cause.”