The first meeting of 2019 for the Best Buddies Club recently took place within the Midnight Eats Lounge located on the College of Saint Rose campus. Best Buddies is a wonderful opportunity for our students to form friendships with mainstream students from the College of Saint Rose to help immerse them in campus life.
The meeting started out with a large table of refreshments fully enjoyed by the students and a fun Ice Breaker game called, “I’ve Got Mail.” Everyone in attendance formed an expansive circle in which someone called out, “I’ve got mail for anyone who likes Guardians of the Galaxy,” or whatever their special interest happens to be. Everybody had to run to a different location in the circle and whoever was last had to repeat the line with their own interest to see how much they had in common with everyone else in Best Buddies. It reiterates an important life lesson of how many of us actually have much more in common than what supposedly divides us if we open up to others around us.
Students have committed their time to a certain number of meetings for the spring semester filled with fun and learning experiences. Some of the upcoming events scheduled in the near future are the Nickelodeon Party, Smash the R-Word, a Friendship Walk held at the Crossgates Mall, and an Easter Egg Hunt held on the Campus Quad. If you wish to become involved or make a contribution feel free to email the club at strosebestbuddies@gmail.com or visit the Best Buddies website to read more about the club.
Included is a photograph of many of our students posing with the leaders and peer buddies who provide continuous mentorship to assist them with navigating campus life. The group photograph was captured at the first meeting and Welcome Back Party that occurred on Sunday, January 27, 2019.
In the second photograph is our dapper College Experience senior, Alek Fisher posing with his beautiful Best Buddy, Elizabeth Tornatore, at the Friendship Ball held on Friday, February 1, 2019 in Troy, NY.
The College Experience deeply appreciates the Best Buddies Program as well as all the opportunities and adventures they create for our students!
What comes after graduation? Many College Experience students, in fact most, choose to remain in Albany. They maintain friendships with their fellow and former graduates, form romantic partnerships, and some get married.