Want inspiration to pursue your high school passion all the way through college? Meet the President of Best Buddies, Jessica Hirst ’15, who has been a member of Best Buddies for 8 years! When she isn’t busy coordinating Best Buddies Sunday events or matching up awesome buddy pairs, Jessica supplements her nursing major as a Student Ambassador at Emory’s nursing school, a Research Assistant at the Clarkson Refuge Center, and a Patient Care Specialist at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In her free time, you can find Jessica running, reading, and of course, volunteering!
Her Campus Emory (HCE): What is Best Buddies?
Jessica Hirst (JH): It is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
HCE: How did you get involved in Best Buddies?
JH: I have always had a passion for special education. My great friend of almost 17 years has Asperger syndrome and influenced me to join best buddies my freshman year of high school. I was on the executive board there for four years. The club changed my life, so Best Buddies was the first club I joined at Emory. It has grown tremendously during my time here!
HCE: What are your short-term and long-term goals for the club?
JH: In general, the goal is to spread the best buddies’ mission of inclusion and acceptance of the developmentally and intellectually disabled population among the Emory and greater Atlanta community. More specifically, we want to create strong, enduring, and life-changing friendships between our Emory students and buddy participants in our program.
HCE: What are the main upcoming Best Buddies events?
JH: Earlier this year we went to a Braves Game, and we just had an awesome event with the Emory men’s basketball team. Looking forward, we have a Best Buddies ball in November and our annual 5k in February! Other events will include karaoke, potlucks, field day games, etc!
HCE: How can students get involved?
JH: Registration ends on October 15th; however, we welcome and encourage interested students to come to our future events to see what we are all about!
HCE: Do you foresee any changes in how the club will be run in the future?
JH: One of our goals this year was to increase membership. Having accomplished this goal, and with so many participants now in our program, we will need a larger executive board next year! Definitely looking for emerging leaders to continue the mission of Best Buddies for years to come.