Name: Megan Roughley
Major: Sociology
Minor: Education
Year: 4th
Title: Best Buddies Facilitator and President
A fourth year sociology major with a minor in education as well as an extracurricular resume that would put any go getter to shame, Meghan Roughley is the definition of killin’ it. As mentioned Meghan has a large extracurricular resume but her main focus is her position with the organization Best Buddies, a club that pairs students with people in the community who have intellectual disabilities. Students and buddies meet up in the community on a weekly basis as well as attending monthly events hosted at the university. When asked how she got involved with best buddies Meghan’s Story is pretty neat. “When I was living in Las Vegas my parents went to a Best Buddies Gala and brought my sister and I back t-shirts. The design of the best buddies logo is pretty cute and quite memorable. I didn’t really think much about it again until I was at Clubs day and recognized their logo. I’ve been volunteering with them ever since.” She just recently put together her first meet and greet as president, one of her most memorable moments to date. Megan accredits her passion for working with others as a large motivator for her involvement in Best Buddies. Her favourite part of the program is watching buddies meet for the first time and then being able to see that friendship and relationship grow over time. Megan has now been with her buddy for the past three years and for her, getting to know someone on an individual and meaningful level has been the most rewarding part of her experience. When asked for tips on how people should approach those with disabilities she says to treat it like any other relationship, with mutual respect and kindness and not to be afraid to ask questions. If you are interested in volunteering with best buddies you can contact Megan by email at bestbuddies@lnv.ca and the process will get started from there. When not working with best buddies Megan divides her time between volunteering in a grade one class at GNS, managing social media accounts for her Mum’s business, and attending ballet barre classes to keep her stress levels in check. Like I said killin’ it.