Photo Courtesy of Sophia Rounds
Last week I was able to sit down and talk with the President of SUNY Geneseo’s Best Buddies Organization, Sophia Rounds. For those unaware, Best Buddies is an international organization centered around creating “opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” as described on the Best Buddies website.
Sophia Rounds has been the president of SUNY Geneseo’s branch of the organization for a little over a year. She shares that she first got involved with the organization during her second semester as a student at SUNY Geneseo; she was the organization’s secretary during her sophomore year and eventually took on the role of president the following year. She plans to hold the position until she graduates later this academic year.
When asked about how the organization functions, Rounds explained the ways that it cooperates with programs that SUNY Geneseo offers. SUNY Geneseo offers “a LIVES program and a BOCES program,” which are both programs that allow “students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to essentially attend school” at SUNY Geneseo, Rounds explained. The LIVES program is an initiative with the goal of providing “students with intellectual and/or other developmental disabilities the opportunity to become more independent, as well as learn vocational and educational skills within an inclusive community” as is stated on the SUNY Geneseo website. This mission is very closely mirrored by the goals of the Best Buddies Organization on campus which—as Rounds explained—is “fostering an inclusive environment with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on campus, and giving them more of a college experience than just going to class.”
Rounds went on to explain the contents of the organization’s weekly meetings; she explained that the organization will host different fun activities for members, BOCES, and LIVES students to participate in together at each meeting. Last week the club hosted karaoke, and in the past they have hosted events like “bracelet making, trivia, kickball, rock painting,” and many more fun events to encourage bonding between students.
Each year, the organization also participates in an event called the “Friendship Walk,” as Rounds explained. The event is in collaboration with other chapters in Western New York, where the chapters fundraise, meet together, and participate in a plethora of activities alongside walking around the area with the people they have met through the program.
The program is currently not creating any one-on-one friendships between students, which is generally commonplace in Best Buddies organizations; it is something that Rounds believes makes SUNY Geneseo’s chapter “different in that way,” but she stated that the organization and herself are looking into creating “one to three pairs.” They have to be careful, ensuring they do not leave people out due to there generally being more LIVES and BOCES students than consistent members to the Best Buddies organization. However, she emphasized that the club is able to focus “more [on] our group meetings and talking to [who is] around you” to continue fostering friendships and long-lasting bonds.
Rounds personally considers going to the presentations that LIVES and BOCES students give each year to be one of the most rewarding parts of being a member of the organization. While not directly held by the organization, she explains how “it’s very rewarding to see them go up, talk, and be proud of the program.” She talks about how when asked about their favorite memories throughout the LIVES or BOCES programs, they will often answer by talking about their time with the Best Buddies organization on campus.
If meeting new people while participating in an exciting event each week sounds fun to you, you can reach out to the organization by email at bestbuddies@geneseo.edu, or on Instagram under the username @bestbuddiesgeneseo.