Genuine friendships. True connections. Valuable lessons.
When I first joined the Circle of Friends club in my freshman year, after hearing about it from a senior friend, I honestly just thought it would be a nice way to fill my Monday lunches by playing some games, eating pizza and checking off another activity for my college applications.
But I soon realized it’s so much more than that; Circle of Friends pairs general education students with students who have special needs to promote inclusion, build friendships and create a stronger sense of community on campus.
I had no idea that Room 401, where the meetings occur, would become the place where I’d laugh the hardest, feel the most connected and learn the kind of lessons that don’t come from textbooks — like how to truly listen to someone, even when their words are few.
Every Monday, as soon as the bell for lunch rings at 12:54 p.m., I walk over to the club room and immediately see an environment with contagious smiles, humorous jokes and impersonations of celebrities. It wasn’t the games like Uno or cup stacking towers planned by the activity commissioners that made it special, but the little things: our small talks about what we did over the weekend, upcoming school events or even plans for the future.
This year, thanks to a sponsorship from The Bowery, kindly presented to us by the Houser Family, we had the chance to take a trip together to Disneyland with the donated funds for leisure activities — a journey that was long anticipated the second it was announced at the beginning of the year. For weeks beforehand, it was all anyone could talk about as I would overhear students asking one another if they had filled out the mandatory interest form, field trip waiver and buddy request survey — a Google Form allowing everyone to choose their groups.
We counted down the Mondays like kids waiting for Christmas morning. And when Wednesday, April 30, finally came, we were overloaded with energy, even at 8 a.m., unable to contain our excitement.
The entire bus ride consisted of everyone unable to stay still in their seats as conversation about what rides to ride and what snacks to eat filled the air.
The second we walked through the gates of Disneyland, we made a beeline for the souvenir shops on Main Street. I remember the feeling of standing in front of the huge wall of Mickey Mouse ears, not knowing which ones to pick because they were all so sparkly and colorful. I ended up choosing glittering, cheetah print ears — the kind that made me feel like a little kid again.
Fueled by caffeine and sugar from cocoa puff cold brews and candy shop treats, we raced through Disneyland — laughing, screaming and snacking on turkey legs and giant pickles. Everywhere we went, it felt less like a school trip and more like just a casual, friendly hangout.
Sitting on the bus ride back home, with my Mickey Mouse ears slightly crooked and a candy apple melting in my bag, I realized that this trip wasn’t just about Disneyland, but about the memories we built together, the barriers we broke down without even thinking and the perfect joy of being seen, understood and accepted exactly as we are. We hugged each other tightly upon arriving back at school, promising to meet up again soon, even though Monday was just around the corner.
Circle of Friends taught me that real friendship doesn’t care about differences. It’s about laughing so hard we can’t breathe, standing in a crowd and feeling like we belong and reaching across whatever divided us and finding a hand reaching back.
I learned what empathy really looks like: being present, being patient and valuing people for who they are, not for what they can achieve.
What started as a Monday lunch meeting turned into something much bigger. Circle of Friends changed how I see others and how I see myself. It taught me that kindness is a choice I can make again and again, in small moments that turn into lifelong memories.
Sometimes those memories come with mouse ears, cocoa puff cold brews and a heart fuller than I ever thought possible.
