Remembering Tally: Late Penn State student called Thon her happy place

Greek Hour at Thon ended at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with a memorial ceremony that left a packed Bryce Jordan Center quiet for a moment.

But when an announcer said the name “Tally Sepot,” an applause filled the arena.

Her family, friends and university administration found a way to keep her memory alive.

The recognition honored former Penn State student Vitalya “Tally” Sepot who died in a single-vehicle crash in September near the King of Prussia Exit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

She was on her way back to Penn State from a weekend of canning with members of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, according to Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers.

Sepot was a passenger in the vehicle in which six other people were injured, police said.

Canning is a yearlong activity that helps raise money for the IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, which supports the fight against childhood cancer.

And supporting Thon was one of Sepot’s favorite activities.

“She called Thon, she called Penn State her happy place,” Sepot’s mother, Claudia Sepot, said.

Remembering Tally

On the second day of Thon, Sepot’s parents, sister Nicole, 26, and brother Sam, 17, took the stage, along with Penn State faculty members and Sepot’s former roommates and friends.

With customized shirts that featured the hashtag, LiveLikeTally, they each shared a memory of her.

“When she walked into a room, her smiled brightened everyone up,” Catie Isham said.

The light she brought into others’ lives was a metaphor to a slogan her friends said she lived by: “If it rains, I’ll continue to follow the sun,” they said.

“There was hardly a time I didn’t see her smile,” Paige Mitstifer said. “It’s awesome that this is how we can remember her.”

An endowment fund was also unveiled Saturday in memory of the 19-year-old Penn State student and Branford, Conn., native that has more than $50,000 already in the fund.

The scholarship will go to one Penn State student each year who exemplifies the kind of attitude and commitment Sepot had to Thon.

Sepot’s father, Joe Sepot, predicts the first scholarship will be announced at next year’s Thon.

“As a parent, your hope is that your children can find happiness and good health,” he said. “That’s what she found here.”

Joe Sepot had tears running down both cheeks, but he said they weren’t necessarily sad tears.

“I’m just glad we have the opportunity to keep her memory alive,” he said. “This is what she lived for.”

Legacy across state lines

Thon committee members were responsible for creating and planning a “moment of celebration” in memory of Sepot.

Thon Public Relations Director Lily Beatty said they wanted to hold the event during Greek Hour, a time designated to showcase songs, dances and activities organized by Penn State’s fraternities and sororities.

“We can have a lot of memorials and recognitions, but it’s not about mourning anymore,” Beatty said. “She was such a positive person that we wanted to celebrate her, and create something that wasn’t done in vain.”

Thon committee members teamed up with Sepot’s friends, sorority members and family who drove in for the weekend from Connecticut.

Locally, State College mural artist Michael Pilato also agreed to include Sepot in his community artwork, Claudia Sepot said.

But while Sepot’s memory continues in the Penn State community, it can also be found two states away.

Claudia Sepot said their hometown of about 30,000 people rallied around her family after her daughter’s death, and included donations to the endowment fund, candlelight vigils, “Tulips for Tally” planted at her former high school, and more.

“It was never ending support,” she said.

This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Remembering Tally: Late Penn State student called Thon her happy place."