Building Connections: Best Buddies at NC State

In this episode of Oak City Move, Sophs sits down with Akshay Balasubramanian, the vice president of the Best Buddies chapter at NC State, to discuss the organization’s mission of building friendships, promoting inclusion, and creating a more welcoming community for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Join us as we discuss the impact of Best Buddies on campus, the importance of fostering meaningful connections, and how students can get involved in creating a community of inclusivity!

Oak City Move is a podcast produced by WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2, student-run radio from NC State University. Like what you hear? Consider supporting it with a gift to the WKNC Enhancement Fund. Visit our podcast page to hear more and follow us on all social media platforms @WKNC881. Thanks for listening.

Creators and Guests

Host

Sophs Magnanini

Public Affairs Director (2025-2026)

What is Oak City Move?

A radio program and podcast from WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 celebrating those who enact positive changes in the Raleigh community.

00:00
Sophia Magnanini
Oak City Move is a podcast on WKNC's 88.1 FM HT1 Raleigh, where we highlight people and organizations creating positive change in the Triangle and beyond. Oak City Move can be heard on air Every Monday on 88.1 FM HD-1 Raleigh or online at wknc.org to listen to episodes and more, go to our blog at blog.wknc.org or follow us on SoundCloud @wknc881. Hello 88.1 WKNC Raleigh. The song you just heard was Sweaty linen by Surf Ninja 3. I'm Sophia Magnanini, your host and you're listening to Oak City Move. Today we are joined by a very special guest, Akshay Balasubramanian, Vice President of the Best Buddies Chapter at NC State. So first off, I just want to say thank you for taking the time out of your day to join me.

00:50
Sophia Magnanini
And for listeners who are hearing about Best Buddies for the first time, how would you describe the organization and its mission?

00:57
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. Best Buddies is a international organization, so there are chapters all across the United States and the world, and not just university campuses, but in high schools and community centers and whatnot. So the Best Buddies chapter at NC State just makes up a smaller part of a larger community across the world. And and our mission is to help eliminate the social, emotional and physical isolation of individuals with idd, which means intellectual and developmental disabilities across the world. There are millions of individuals living with IDD around the world and are marginalized in a variety of spaces and environments. So the goal of Best Buddies is to simply put this issue into the public's eye and support and care for this population.

01:52
Sophia Magnanini
That's amazing and it's such an important goal and mission, especially today. But I wanted to ask what does the NC State chapter focus on or kind of what is yalls? Not day to day, but kind of what do you guys focus on doing and how does it connect with the larger Best Buddies organizations?

02:10
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah, so the larger Best Buddies organizations has multiple missions which include things like employment assistance and other enterprise more social work type initiatives and it has four main pillars and one of the main pillars includes developing one one relationships with individuals with idd. So that pillar is the focus of the NC State chapter. We host events every month with the focus of connecting our students on campus with students and or individuals at IDD and pairing them up in one to one friendships. And the Best Buddies organization has really seen significant impact in the power of one to one relationships there's just more intimacy and vulnerability and connection when you're developing one one. And that's why the organization loves pushing one to one friendships.

03:11
Sophia Magnanini
And it's probably just so great for both individuals in those friendships to just kind of broaden their open range and just kind of help them see in real time, in real life, like what they can gain from best buddies.

03:26
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah, for sure. And you mentioned perspective. And I think perspective is a large part where why I joined the club and I think why a lot of other individuals, both with IDD and without IDD join the club. I think both of these populations and peoples, everyone lives a different experience in our world today. And especially individuals with IDD can bring a lot of perspective to us onto things that we don't think about on a daily basis. And that's really powerful.

03:58
Sophia Magnanini
Which that also kind of leads to my next question. How does your chapter help create opportunities for the students to help build these connections and these genuine friendships?

04:09
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah, so as I mentioned earlier, I think the main way that our chapter encompasses this is monthly meetings. So we'll have, for example, this semester we'll have four meetings. The first was just an introductory meeting to get all the individuals, IDD and students to meet one another and see who you vibe with. The second meeting coming up is our match party. So we have a specialized member on our board that focuses on matching individuals and creating and fostering these friendships. So they, based on information from the welcome party and other information, they match individuals. And we'll celebrate these relationships made at the match party. And then we'll have a Thanksgiving party and also a holiday party. So I think one of the cool benefits of our club is since our events are only once a month, they're not a great commitment.

05:03
Akshay Balasubramanian
And I think it allows for a lot of individuals to engage in the club because they're not committing to anything super frequently. And before we kick off our events, we host a global training session where our students can learn how building a relationship with an individual IDD might look different than a typical friendship and how to advocate for their own needs and also support their friend, their new relationship, in the best way possible. And it's truly, from my experience, it's truly nothing different than building a relationship with another friend. I think that the only part that creates maybe conflict is the fact that it is a kind of assigned friendship. So it doesn't happen as naturally other friendships, but that doesn't take away from the connection and the bonding and the love that's distributed among the Partners.

06:07
Sophia Magnanini
Oh yeah, that's great. And it's also really cool that like you were saying with the training that a lot of people from the club get as well as the matchmaking being in the second kind of event. So that way people can already kind of get to know each other and kind of have an idea of who they like vibe with if you will. And so it's really great. It kind of goes into my next question also. I know that the people within the club must feel really important and just like really great to be a part of something like that. And why do you think it's important for college campuses to create spaces where people of all abilities feel welcome and included?

06:53
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah, and I think that's the question, right? I mean it's a. These are like my personal views and things that I've learned from a part of being in the club and being a college student. But I think one of the big takeaways after being at NC State is that education can be a really powerful tool for success and well being in our world today. And this goes for higher education like NC State, but also K12 and making that accessible. So if we want to promote as much success and financial stability and well being as possible to as many individuals as possible, that all comes back to inclusivity in spaces like NC State and spaces like our grade schools. So inclusivity means 100 different things and can relate to 100 different identity groups and Best Buddies focuses on a specific group of individuals.

07:59
Akshay Balasubramanian
And I think it's small organizations like us that take little baby steps in breaking this barrier, this stigma behind intellectual and developmental disabilities making these individuals feel welcome on campus. And that's so important because I don't know the exact history but I think it's, I mean the ADA act was only passed I think a couple decades ago and prior to that there probably weren't a lot of individuals with disabilities receiving in education. And it's good to see how much we're grown. But yeah, I think I'm kind of rambling a little bit. But to kind of conclude that thought process. I think what we see in our world today is education being marginalized from certain groups and that creates a certain cycle of poverty and unemployment. So making sure that. And then that is there.

09:05
Akshay Balasubramanian
These populations, individuals are blamed for their lack of resources which is totally out of their control. So again making sure that we're inclusive for all types of identity groups and providing education like places at NC State will allow to eliminate Cycle of unemployment, of poverty and of isolation. So yeah, that goes with four groups with IDD, but also all different types of other marginalized populations.

09:34
Sophia Magnanini
100%. I totally agree with you. Like creating these spaces and making people feel welcome and included just helps bring down that stigmatization around certain groups. And I also really liked how you brought up the importance of these spaces also in places such as like grade school and high schools and all that. Because that is also really important, I mean, especially of the sorts, because it really helps them create those bonds and also helps others, individuals who might not be around, different abilities as well. It might help broaden their perspective and just see that they're just like anyone else and they want the same opportunities that everyone else does. So that's really great what you guys are doing.

10:28
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah, I'd like to add on that point because there's a balance here of, I think a big barrier to like other students to individuals with idd. They think that they're non functional and they're unable to receive and learn the same as other students, which is a false assumption. But I think there's also merit in acknowledging their differences and acknowledging that they haven't had the most straightforward path to education. They probably have. They had the world. Has it been made for them. And it's a balance of acknowledging that they have lived a different life than us and also acknowledging that they are fully capable of doing all the same things that we are able to do and be a member of the world 100%.

11:19
Sophia Magnanini
And my next question kind of ties into that. So I don't know if you just want to keep adding on to that.

11:25
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah, we can keep chugging along.

11:27
Sophia Magnanini
Yeah. What are some misconceptions you think about people with intellectual or physical disabilities that you hope to challenge through best buddies and just through creating these types of spaces.

11:44
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah, I think this question is as relevant as ever in our world of media. And I think our generation specifically has done a horrible job of treating individuals with IDD. I think on Instagram and TikTok, I can't name the number of times where there's been an individual IDD represented in a poor way. And that just gets perpetrated on and jokes and whatever names are being thrown out there. It's really harmful. And as young individuals, as middle schoolers, elementary schoolers and high schoolers, we don't really think too hard about what we see online. We kind of take it as the real deal and that gets cycled into adulthood and X on and on. And on. So when I think, to answer that question, I think a lot of it goes back to media and not trusting whatever we see on Instagram.

12:50
Akshay Balasubramanian
And another point is that idd, I think media has created this image of what an individual with IDD looks like to everyone. And the truth is that intellectual and developmental disabilities is a spectrum. It's a vast spectrum. And I'll cite an example. Something that happened to me recently was when I, before, I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as an individual ID'd, but when I was filling out this internship application like a couple of weeks ago, they had a spot for noting down this demographic about yourself. And I read the description and realized that for this company, I actually identified and fell into this category of an individual ID'd. And it's very interesting because every company and everyone defines this term in a variety of ways.

13:46
Akshay Balasubramanian
So I think it's important to note that there is a broad spectrum of what this word means and what you're thinking of what this individual in your mind is when you hear this term is not necessarily like what an individual IDD represents. And yeah, I think just emphasizing that, sure, there are differences, but at the end of the day, and this is true for a lot of things, like we're all human beings and we all deserve the same love and care for one another. We all feel emotions, we all are able to communicate. And I think it's these fundamental concepts that we have to come back to. And I think Best Buddies does a great way of promoting care and love and humanity through the one one relationships.

14:37
Akshay Balasubramanian
And I think this is a big way that this stigma and barriers are broken down is because all our buddies are able to communicate one another and have fun and express love and joy and laugh together. And I think at the end of the day, that's the most important part.

14:55
Sophia Magnanini
No, yeah, that was a great answer and a great response. Especially when you mentioned with social media and certain things, it's really easy for people to put individuals with IDD into one just category or when like you were saying, it's such a broad spectrum and you never really know if someone that you are interacting with might be someone with idd. And so it's really great that you guys are able to, yeah, once again create this community and also just have that knowledge and perspective where, you know, hey, there's so many different types of individuals with disabilities and without disabilities that everyone wants to just be a part of something. And so with that something being Best Buddies, it's just really great.

15:51
Sophia Magnanini
And this kind of leads into my next question, which is kind of more personal, but how has being involved with Best Buddies changed your own perspective on friendship, community, and just inclusion in general?

16:04
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah, and I think it's done. It's definitely shown and taught me a lot of things. And I think the first. I'll answer the first part about relationships and communication, which is something I talked about earlier. And I'd like to cite one of my buddies I got. I got matched with my freshman year and he. He like communicated in different ways than like I would with another friend, but I was still able to laugh and enjoy with them. And it reminded me that communication is not just talking and conversing like we are. It's playing sports together, it's laughing, it's eating, it's crafting together. And there's so many different forms of communication that it's really cool how many different ways we can converse with one another as human beings.

16:58
Akshay Balasubramanian
So I think communication through diversity of human communications, one of the things that Best Buddy has shown me and on inclusivity as a whole, and I touched on this earlier, I think Best Buddies has shown me how important it is, how important action is. Right. So I think we always think about making. We always throw around the term making space when inclusive. But what does that look like tangibly, like it's very easy to discuss things like this, but what does that look like in real life? And I think it looks like initiatives like Best Buddies going out and interacting with individuals who you might hold a stigma against. And I guess creating a community around this topic of inclusivity. And I think it's. It's small.

17:53
Akshay Balasubramanian
I mentioned this earlier, but it's small efforts like Best Buddies, small interactions, small friendships that hopefully will snowball and touch more hearts, which again will lead us to our end goal of an equitable world. Yeah, I think that answers your question,.

18:15
Sophia Magnanini
Which is just so true and so great. And it's so great hearing that from someone who has this type of perspective. Being in Best Buddies for so long and actually being able to have those friendships and see in real time have that great point of view. So that's really great to kind of pivot. I know that Best Buddies doesn't just include students from NC State, but also those from around the Raleigh community. If you wanted to kind of talk about how the NC State chapter connects with the broader Raleigh community. And are there any like local organizations, schools, or community groups that you guys collaborate with?

18:57
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah. So I think something really interesting about university and NC State is that you can get caught up in the bubble that is NC State and forget that there's a whole world and community surrounding the university that you're living in. And Best Buddies does a great way of connecting us with the surrounding community because our buddies aren't necessarily students at NC State although a lot of them are. They live around the Triangle area and they commute in and it's cool because for people like me it's easy to connect because I'm from like the surrounding Raleigh area so I can bond with an individual who like lives close by to my home. So that's really cool.

19:39
Akshay Balasubramanian
And I'd like to shout out one of an organization that a lot of our buddies are employed at and that's Three2One Coffee and they have multiple locations around the Raleigh Triangle area and there's actually one on campus for anyone that doesn't know there's a three two one location on Centennial campus and a lot of our buddies work there so please support the business. Feel free to go say hi to some of the buddies over there and it's really cute. They serve great coffee and the founding of the organization is displayed on the wall over there which is really cool and it's really cool to read or recommend anyone to read the story of how 321 came to be. But in terms of other community initiatives we are really trying to expand our outreach efforts.

20:28
Akshay Balasubramanian
There are so many hubs for so many organizations pre existing that work with individual ID'd and we really want to connect with them to ensure siv pipeline of buddies to our organization. And some of those examples that we're thinking of connecting with include like the Miracle leaders Triangle who we've worked with before and also reaching out to local K12 schools who do host and educate individuals with IDD and introducing them to an organization with Best Buddies with the hopes that they are introduced to a college environment. And I think it would be cool to allow some of these students to experience what college is like and make sure they know that this space is available for them and they're welcome here and they're loved and they can receive education as well.

21:18
Sophia Magnanini
That's so awesome. It's just the broad spectrum that you guys reach around the Raleigh community and because like you were saying it is easy to just be in a bubble with NC State especially with certain clubs. But it's so great to hear that you guys are so branched out and that so many individuals from around the community get to have these experiences and see what everything's about which is really great and just so awesome. How can NC State students get or get involved in general with Best Buddies if they never participated in an organization like this? Do you guys want to shout out websites, social media pages?

22:06
Akshay Balasubramanian
Yeah. Yeah. I mean we have a great social media coordinator. Our Instagram feed is pretty cool. So I think if you just search up Best Buddies NC State on Instagram, that'll be our main source of information. We'll post like event dates and fundraisers on there. So feel free to. I think we also have a link tree on there, so please follow us on Twitter Best Buddies NTCA on Instagram and I think our email is on there as well, so feel free to email us if you have any questions. If you want to join the club. It's really a great time. We just, we meet up once a month and we hang out and we laugh and we chat and it's a very loving environment.

22:42
Akshay Balasubramanian
And if anyone is interested in working with individuals with IDD or interested in gaining a cool new friend or relationship, I would highly recommend reaching out and joining. And we would love to see you there.

22:55
Sophia Magnanini
Awesome. So anyone listening? Definitely go check that out if you're interested. It sounds like such an amazing opportunity and club and just amazing people in general. And as we kind of come to the end of our discussion, my last question is if someone listening wants to make their own community more inclusive, what do you think is something that they can start doing that today?

23:19
Akshay Balasubramanian
Wow. Yeah, I think, I mean it is a large question, but there is definitely little things that we can do today that can promote inclusivity. And with, I think one thing that comes to mind is with the midterm elections coming up, making sure you're exercising your right to vote. And I think some individuals promote inclusivity more than others and advocate for individuals with IDD and rights more than others. So do your research on your candidates. And at the end of the day, a lot of inclusivity comes to policy. So making sure you're up to date with elections as well as get involved on campus. And there are a variety of organizations on campus that do a great job of promoting inclusivity of all identity groups. And that's kind of where these efforts start.

24:15
Akshay Balasubramanian
It's in grassroots organizations, local clubs, where you can interact and again expand your worldview and gain more perspective. Which leads me into my third point of education and learning your history. I think it's so important to, yes, be involved on campus support organizations, vote, but do your own research and learn the history of why we see certain groups some way, why certain groups are treated X way because there's a history to everything and even the winds we have right now are built on the backs of the people before us. So I'm a big fan of context in history and I would always recommend educating yourself.

25:08
Sophia Magnanini
Yeah, those were all great answers and something that I would also recommend everyone listening to just do with any topic in general and also go out there and vote because your vote matters, it's your civic duty. And yeah, it's something that helps the community. But I just want to thank you so much again for taking the time out of your day. So as we come up on the end of our chat, I just want to thank you all again. And I want to thank Akshay. He is such a champ, because you wouldn't know it, but we have filmed this episode before and all the audio disappeared, but he took it like a champ. He came back and he still gave such amazing conversation, amazing answers. So just, yeah, Best Buddies is such a great organization and club. I've been involved with it.

26:01
Sophia Magnanini
I know so many of my friends throughout all of my education who are involved with it. And it's just so great. And I think anyone who's interested should get involved, volunteer, become a buddy, make a new friendship. But yeah, thank you all again for listening. This is Oak City Move. I'm your host, Sophia Magnanini. If you're interested in listening to this episode again or to past episodes of the show, you can go to wknc.org/podcast and make sure to tune into our show Every Monday on WKNC 88.1 FM Raleigh. Have a great day.