Buddies forever by Caroline

Buddies forever by Caroline - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

The greeting I received at the Best Buddies Leadership Conference, complete with inspiring music and cheerleading program managers, symbolically represents the program in its entirety, for the purpose of the Best Buddies program is to celebrate students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as promote friendships between these young people and general education students. It is into this program that I have poured my heart.
Prior to attending the Leadership Conference, I had been paired up with Danny, and my job was to build a friendship. Finding a way to communicate with and relate to him seemed difficult, until I discovered he was obsessed with Hannah Montana. Our time together is filled with my childhood idol, from singing along to her music in the car to playing Hannah Montana themed games. It wasn’t long until I discovered more of what made Danny unique and what made us more similar than I had initially realized. I appreciate his silliness with his fake sneezing that never fails to make us laugh. Every time I’m with Danny is enjoyable, whether we’re at a baseball game, dance, or just sitting together at lunch. Our date each week is the highlight of my week. He looks forward to going to Sonic and singing Hannah songs.
Now I was attending a 3-day event to learn how I could move from being a peer buddy to being an advocate for people with a wide range of disabilities and how to run my school’s chapter. Responsible for assigning buddy pairs, I discovered a method more logical than random selection, requiring interviews with peer buddies and interest matching. I learned the importance of promoting inclusion both in my school and in my community. As the President of my school’s Best Buddies chapter, I’m learning the demands of planning the upcoming year. With the list of events in hand, I now understand the complexity of coordinating our schedule with the facilities of our school and community. I’m also looking to connect with other schools in our area to bring more buddies together. The parents and students count on the social events we have each month such as Thanksgiving Dinner, movie nights, Halloween party, Valentine's Dance and Christmas Gift Exchange.
The most valuable things I have learned from the organization are far more than leadership skills I could have learned in many other clubs. What Danny and the other buddies have taught me is that finding common ground is often much easier than anticipated. They have also shown me that I should not underestimate anyone, even myself, and the importance of embracing your silly side. It is now my responsibility to deliver that message to a broader audience.
After working with special needs students since 7th grade, I plan to incorporate my passion into my career choice as a pediatric nurse.