Nicole Anne Duarte is 17 years old and a graduating 12th grader at Glendale High School. She is the president of the Best Buddies Club, and aside from this, she has been part of the GHS stage crew for three years. She was also a part of the girls varsity track team this year, and she was a member of our Explosion staff as a sophomore. During her free time, Nicole loves to take walks in nature and to just spend time with her friends and family.
The purpose of the Best Buddies Club is to create an inclusive community of supportive and kind students, where they can develop friendships with other students who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Nicole has been interested in this club since she was a student at Wilson Middle School. In her classes, some of the people who were in the club were super friendly towards her, which made her want to be more involved with Best Buddies.
Nicole thinks she is a good fit for being president, because she has done her best to listen to her fellow club members. She has planned out what she thinks they will love to do, so she is very satisfied with what she has done these past years. Nicole also thinks that all leaders should always lead by example, be patient and have empathy, in order to connect with others.
During meetings, Nicole and her members plan out fundraisers for the benefit of the club. Her main goal this year was to buy some prom tickets for the seniors, but other than that, the members would mostly just chat and spend time with their buddies.
The most difficult part when working in Best Buddies is trying to get more people to be interested and involved in the club. But Nicole’s favorite memory from this year was when she and her club members went on a bowling field trip. She got to see how close the community was and how much they all just enjoy each other’s company.
Nicole’s biggest achievement for this club was when the GHS chapter had the most high school signups for the annual Best Buddies Friendship Walk. They had around 100 people sign up, and Nicole thinks that’s incredible.
If you are interested in joining the Best Buddies Club next year, email their advisor, Ms. Sotelo, at [email protected]! You can also look for the club during next year’s Club Rush for more information! Be the best buddy, Nitros!
