Last fall, Westerville North High School celebrated the opening of its Best Buddies chapter, an affiliate of Best Buddies International, an organization working to end social, physical and economic isolation for people living with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

The launch of the high school’s chapter was part of Kacee’s Take Action Project, a recent Westerville North and GSD graduate, as she set out to reduce local social inequalities in her hometown.

After befriending a classmate with Down Syndrome during middle school, Kacee became interested in learning more about struggles for students with an Intellectual and Developmental Disorder, or IDD. Kacee began volunteering in a special education classroom and special Olympics, connecting with students and growing passionate about increasing interactions between students with and without  IDD. 

When it was time to decide on her GSD Take Action Project in the fall, Kacee knew she wanted to further her impact by fostering connections and understanding between students with and without disabilities. Introducing Best Buddies to her school seemed like a fun and sustainable way to make an impact. 

Her first step in establishing a local chapter of Best Buddies was reaching out to Best Buddies International and its Central Ohio team members. Working with Shannon Wilson, the senior program manager at Best Buddies, a sign-up page for WNHS students was created and Kacee began attending Best Buddies training to learn more about disabilities, prepare for her role as chapter president and connect with other local chapters.

WNHS’s Best Buddies Chapter opened on September 10, 2025, followed by a tabling event and an initial interest meeting for students to learn more about Kacee’s project. On the first day of recruiting, Kacee gathered 20 student sign-ups.

Over its first year in action, the organization hosted multiple card and board game events, an outdoors event after Spring Break, and most notably, a Valentine’s Day Party with over 40 student attendees, both with and without an IDD. 

“I have learned a lot about successful management, successful leadership, and how to stay on top of everything when I am leading a large group of people,” Kacee says. “I have also learned how important it is to be punctual and organized. On top of these general skills, my passion and interest in working with people with disabilities has grown tremendously!” 

Through event planning and leadership, Kacee received positive feedback from members including excitement about making new friends, playing games and wanting to return to the next meeting for more fun. 

Kacee and her fellow leaders shared club updates via an Instagram page and GroupMe, and hosted meetings during school hours to make meetings as accessible as possible for all interested students.

“There is often a stigma around disabilities in general, and people may not feel comfortable walking up to someone with IDD and making a friend,” says Kacee. “Best Buddies gives them the time, setting, and resources to make this connection. Not only this, but it also teaches people lots about disabilities, and helps people learn how to interact with people with IDD on a daily basis.”

Kacee graduated this spring and plans to attend Villanova University this fall. She hands her leadership role down to members of the student administration team, and paves the way for a long-lasting environment for connection and learning at WNHS.

“If I could give advice to future global scholars students, I would tell them that they have such an exciting adventure ahead of them,” says Kacee. “While it may seem daunting at first, the impact you are able to have on your community is incredible, and it really proves that one person can change the world for the better.”