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By Elizabeth Wu | Special to the NB Indy
At JSerra Catholic High School, one student is transforming her campus through a powerful combination of compassion, leadership, and lived experience.
Bianca Butler, a rising senior who lives in Newport Beach, is president and founder of JSerra’s Best Buddies club, a non-profit organization that builds friendship and inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Her motivation to pursue this is in a very personal space: her close relationship with her late uncle, who had Down syndrome.
“He was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known,” Butler said. “When we were together, I never understood why other people treated him differently. That stayed with me.”
After her uncle passed away during her eighth-grade year, Butler carried his memory forward. “I wanted to make the world kinder for people like him. That’s where this all started.”
Butler is a Seattle native who moved to Newport Beach during the pandemic. “We came down here right before my seventh-grade year,” she explained.
As a freshman, she began working with the Orange County Down Syndrome Association and learned about Best Buddies shortly afterward.
“I kept hearing about it and just decided to do some research. When I learned how one can start a chapter, I reached out to Melissa Peterson, and that’s where it all started,” said Butler.
Starting the club came with obstacles.
“JSerra had never had a club like this before, so there were a lot of misconceptions,” she explained. “At one point, only three people showed up to a meeting. But I kept going.”
With persistence, Butler grew the club into a thriving space where students could learn about and support the IDD community.
Since JSerra does not have an IDD on-campus program, Butler was key in developing means to establish connection. She reached out to the Best Buddies club at San Clemente High School, and they organized activities such as crafting and presenting St. Patrick’s Day gift baskets to buddies and students.
“They loved it, and so did we,” she stated. “It was a great example of how we can still make a difference even without a local IDD community on campus.”
Butler’s service and leadership have been noticed well beyond JSerra. She was presented with the Orange County Best Buddies Champion of the Year award, the youngest recipient in history at the time.
“It was surreal,” she explained. “We didn’t realize how big of an event it was until we got there. But the best part was meeting Mark and Sean, who guided me through the fundraising process and helped with our campus car wash.”
She was also the Student Leader of the Year award recipient at the Best Buddies Friendship Walk.
Apart from her advocacy work, Butler is a multi-talented student. She competes at JSerra in flag football, runs her own jewelry business, and is a student photographer covering school sports. She also interns at the school athletics department on social media. However, Best Buddies is most rewarding. “It’s where I feel I can really make an impact.”
Butler has also discovered new strengths as a student leader.
“Before Best Buddies, I had never actually spoken to a group,” she said. “Now I’m running meetings, planning events, and reaching out to students. It’s helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect.”
Her family is deeply involved in her efforts. “My mom and aunt have been to every event,” Butler said. “They grew up with my uncle too, so they understand how important this is. My sister is also in the club, and I’m teaching her to be the new president of the chapter when I graduate.”
Looking ahead, Butler hopes to expand the chapter through new initiatives. She is working to launch an e-Buddies program that allows members to build friendships virtually with individuals from other schools, and she plans to bring in more guest speakers from the IDD community. She’s also advocating for JSerra to create on-campus employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, inspired by similar programs at other Orange County schools.
As she begins to explore colleges, Butler is making sure her next chapter includes advocacy.
“I’ve been reaching out to a lot of different college reps for our area. And one of the main questions I always ask is if they have a program like Best Buddies because I’d really like to continue working with the IDD community in college.”
When asked what she hopes students take away from her work, she responded without hesitation: “Just be kind and include everyone. You don’t know what someone’s going through. A little kindness can go a long way.”
Bianca Butler isn’t just leading a club. She’s leading a movement rooted in love, empathy, and the belief that every person deserves to be seen, valued, and included.