As hundreds in the crowd look on, Sophia Roth, senior, smiles as inches of braided hair fall from her head at Helen Fitzgerald’s Restaurant and Pub during a St. Baldrick’s event on Saturday, March 5. Roth decided to raise money with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a group dedicated to childhood cancer research, in memory of a swim teammate, Jacob Swiderski, who recently passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. Her original goal was to raise $1,000 but by March 5 she raised over $2,000. “I was so nervous and emotional, but when I was in the chair I was so happy, and all of my nervous feelings went away,” Roth said. “Everyone was there for the same cause, which I thought was beautiful.” Roth intends to shave again in the future and said this event has been one of the most fulfilling of her life. “I was so happy that my friend was willing to give up something so important to her for such a good cause,” Christina Koch, senior, said who also attended the event on March 5. “She inspires me every day.”

Gallery • 10 Photos

Before shaving, Sophia smiles for a photo with hair braided to make shaving easier for the hairdresser. (photo courtesy of Christina Koch)