Welcome Back to Another Year of the Blogs!

 Introducing the new writers: 

Sophie

Hello! My name is Sophie Fulghum and I am from East Greenwich, Rhode Island. I have been a member of Best Buddies for nine years now and have loved every minute of it. This is my second year on the YLC and I am super excited to work with so many amazing leaders on the council for my second year. I have lots of goals for this year (many for this blog) so I am looking forward to seeing some of my ideas come to life. Outside of the YLC, I am a part of the Providence College Chapter in Rhode Island. 

I wish I could name one thing I love the most about Best Buddies, but it has provided me endless opportunities that I could not be more grateful for. I have made lifelong best friends and become a much more confident person. I credit all of this to attending Leadership Conference in 2018, where I found my passion for inclusion and the lengths I would take to create a more inclusive world. Therefore, LC holds such a special place in my heart that I encourage you all to participate in roundtable discussions and make your voice heard! I will be leading Return to In-Person Events and Creating a Culture of Inclusion in your Community; I hope to see you there! I can’t wait for another year of blogs!

In Friendship,

Sophie

Jamie 

I am Jamie Galvin and I am from Nashville, Tennessee. I have been a part of Best Buddies for eight years. I learned about Best Buddies at Vanderbilt University where I was on the board. I have spoken at Best Buddies events and met a lot of new friends. Best Buddies changed my life. I have the privilege of being on the YLC and this is my first year on the council. My favorite thing about Best Buddies is meeting everyone and making new friends. I attended Best Buddies Leadership Conference in 2018 and loved it. I’m looking forward to LC this year and I will leading a roundtable titled How Friendships Affect Us and Our World. 

In Friendship,

Jamie 

Jada 

Aloha! My name is Jada Thompson and I am from Chicago, Illinois. I have been involved with Best Buddies for three years and it has absolutely changed my life for the better. This is my first year as a YLC member and so far it's been pretty amazing. I’m super excited to work on different initiatives as well as making new friends. I have a lot of things that I definitely want to accomplish (this blog being one of them) and I can’t wait to share with my peers.

Outside of YLC, I am also a Jobs participant, a member of the Citizens program in Illinois, a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and a Global Ambassador. I have so many great memories with Best Buddies that I wish I could name all at once, but my all time favorite memory was getting an award for Employee of the Year at the Leadership Conference in 2019. It is still my very favorite memory because not only did I have no clue, but I wasn’t having the best year and it really made my year and helped me notice that my hard-work and advocacy skills paid off. 

I love how Best Buddies lives by their mission of inclusion by amplifying disabled voices and hosting events like this year’s Leadership Conference. You guys will have a blast so make sure you’re attending the different sessions like the peer to peer roundtables and opening ceremonies. I will be leading the Managing Mental Health and Mental Health & Time Management roundtables. I can’t wait to see what we have in store for Blogs!

 In Love & Friendship,

Jada Thompson