Special education student nominated for Best Buddies Champion of the Year

Corey Hughes, a fourth-year student in the special education program in the Department of Educational Psychology, has been nominated as a candidate for the 2022 Best Buddies Minnesota Champion of the Year campaign. Best Buddies is an international organization advocating for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Specifically, Best Buddies creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living. The champion of the year campaign recognizes the community’s most active leaders.

Hughes was involved with the organization in high school. When she came to the U, she found that Best Buddies was not a club here, so she started one. “With the help of a friend, we found initial contacts and brought Best Buddies to the U. It has now successfully been a club for three years and has grown more and more each year,” she said. “It has been so great to watch something I am so passionate about do so well and grow so much.”

For more information about the program, email Hughes at hughe889@umn.edu.