Meet Andre & Aimee – Southwestern University
One-to-One Friendship
Pizza, parties, bowling, movies, smiles, and laughs. These are just a few words that describe the friendship between Aimee Rodriguez and Andre Simon. Aimee has been a Best Buddies participant at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas since September 2015.
“I didn’t know what Best Buddies was until I got to Southwestern University. My aunt who has special needs has lived with my family since I was in 9th grade, so I knew what it was like to develop a close friendship with someone who has special needs,” said Aimee.
When Aimee was a freshman in college, she met the Best Buddies crew at an Activities Fair and completely fell in love with their purpose within the community. That’s when she decided to get involved with the organization.
“This year is the first time I’ve been paired with a buddy, because the last two [years] I’ve been an associate member. I hope to get more people involved in this organization before I graduate from Southwestern.”
Matched in September 2017, Andre and Aimee have already become such close friends. They spend time with each other at the chapter’s bi-monthly events and holiday parties. The movie release of Marvel’s Black Panther has been one of the highlights of their friendship.
“Andre and I are really into watching movies, in particular, superhero movies. Anytime there’s a fight scene, he’s sure to move along to the punches and kicks,” said the college student. ” He’s always sure to give each of us the parts in the movie and he tends to be the hero of the plot. We also go bowling and try to attend any of the free events that Southwestern hosts for the students.”
Since joining Best Buddies, Aimee has led the chapter by not only fulfilling multiple officer positions but also by developing close relationships with the Buddies in their chapter.
“The Buddies constantly remind me to always be myself and to own who I am. They constantly inspire me to want to do more, go out and volunteer, to sing and dance. As I’ve come to know, a lot of our buddies are volunteers all throughout the community and every time we put on an event, they are never afraid to go up in the front and perform something.”
