Throughout my high school career, I was an active member in, and eventually vice president of, my school's chapter of Best Buddies. Best Buddies is an international organization that pairs student volunteers with a "buddy," in other words, a student with an intellectual or developmental disability.

The ultimate goal of this pairing is to accentuate that friendship is a genuine bond that is formed between two individuals. On a smaller scale, the goal is for the volunteer to integrate his/her buddy into social and academic environments in which the buddy normally would not be involved. I was a part of this amazing organization for four years, and it taught me some important life lessons, which are as follows.

Patience is a virtue.

Communication with children with IDDs can sometimes be difficult, but they're the sweetest people in the world if you give them a chance. A common misconception is that communication is impossible with these kids, especially if they're nonverbal, but it just takes time. Being patient is extremely important, and the end result will absolutely be worth it.

Everybody should be treated with an equal amount of respect.

This is common sense, but some people forget that. Regardless of who you're with, if the person has a disability of some kind or not, every single person should show respect to others.

Friendship is more than a label.

As I have previously mentioned, Best Buddies pairs you up with a buddy to hang out with. The pairing process involves an application and multiple interviews, so that the volunteers are meant for the position, and so that they are matched with somebody who shares interests with them. Being a part of the program for four years, I was able to observe the different pairings. I personally considered my buddy a close friend and our relationship existed beyond the organization, but, much to my dismay, I saw on multiple occasions that this was not the case for everyone. It saddened me to see that some people were a part of this great organization for selfish reasons. A friendship with your buddy should be a true bond, not something superficial.

Dedicating your time to a cause that benefits others will make you feel better about yourself.

In the least selfish way possible, this is absolutely true. I always left Best Buddies events and hangouts with my buddy feeling absolutely elated; knowing that I was making a difference in the lives of others just by providing friendship made me unbelievably happy. It's kind of like the self-explanatory feel-good-do-good phenomenon, but flipped.

Activities you partake in throughout high school are more than just another thing to put on your résumé.

I alluded to this earlier, but doing something like this should be out of the kindness of your own heart, not because you want it to look good on a piece of paper. The buddies are people with feelings too.