Inclusion is always something to celebrate, and the Best Buddies Friendship chapter at Higley High School can throw quite the party, as they did at their yearly Inclusion Carnival.

Katelyn Quintero, the California state director, and Wesley Lam, a Best Buddies in California Ambassador, were recently interviewed to discuss the impact of Best Buddies across California in light of Best Buddies Month and the organization’s 35th anniversary.

I was born at Tampa General Hospital in 1983; I was raised by my aunt, BJ, in Florida after my parents dropped me off at my grandmother’s house and never came back. School was hard for me. I was teased until I found Best Buddies in middle school. My bond with my middle school buddy helped me because I felt protected from everyone’s teasing and her friendship gave me something to look forward to every day...