In May, Cecilia Hernandez graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, with her best friend Canela, who walked across the commencement stage on four legs.
Canela is a 4-year-old “jack of all trades” golden retriever service dog, according to Hernandez, who welcomed the canine into her life during her fall semester in 2021.
“I began to have cardiac issues that led to a high heart rate, leading me to faint. Canela can alert me when my heart rate is too high and tell me to sit down when I’m near fainting. During these episodes, she can perform Deep Pressure Therapy to help diminish my symptoms. Additionally, I have a lot of different food allergies. She can alert me before I get a reaction and prompt me to take medication,” Hernandez tells PEOPLE about how Canela assists her.
When Canela joined her at school, Hernandez noticed her life “drastically changed for the better.”
“With Canela by my side, I am much more confident in knowing my physical limits. Prior to getting a service dog, I used to constantly push myself, thinking ‘I’m fine,'” she says, adding “This led to me ignoring my body’s warning signs and leading to many trips to the doctor and lengthy periods of bed rest. Since getting a service dog, Canela can tell me when I’m pushing myself too much. She reminds me to rest when needed.”
The canine also gives her owner confidence to take on more new challenges and pursue passions, since Canela is there to let Hernandez know when she needs a break.
Cecilia Hernandez
While some say it takes a village to raise a child, it also helps to have extra hands when training a service dog. John McGarth Training Services trained Canela to be Hernandez’s service dog, starting the canine’s training when she was just a puppy.
Since Hernandez was an undergraduate chemistry major at Rollins College, Canela needed to be prepared to spend hours in a laboratory setting. Getting the dog ready for this environment, which included preparing Canela to wear safety goggles, required extra time, patience, and help.
Related Stories
“Prior to her full-time status, I would take her to school a few days a week to get her used to her job. My professors helped me train Canela, allowing me to take her to classes to get her acclimated to the environment,” Hernandez says.
When Canela reached young adulthood and became a full-time service dog, Hernandez stayed committed to teaching the canine and learning with her.
“Although Canela was considered a ‘star pupil’ to our trainer, it still required quite a lot of consistent training every single day to get her to the level she is at now,” Hernandez adds. “I am incredibly proud that the two of us have made it to the professionalism we have now.”
Cecilia Hernandez
Rollins College is also proud of Canela. She marks the first “Chemistry service dog” the school has hosted, so Rollins decided that the dog should be honored at graduation, too.
According to Hernandez, on graduation day, Canela joined her owner on stage and received a special patch for her vest to commemorate her time at Rollins College.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
“As we stood up on stage, there was silence as President Cornwell read his speech. My heart was racing, worried about what the crowd would think. But as we approached President Cornwell, the crowd erupted with cheers. I could hear many of my classmates and friends cheering in the crowd,” the proud dog mom says of how her classmate reacted to Canela’s honor.
Cecilia Hernandez
Canela, who her owner describes as a ‘blackhole of love’ always prepared to suck in affection, appeared to adore her special moment in the spotlight. The dog will get a chance to meet a whole new school of admirers in the fall when she starts attending the University of Central Florida with Hernandez, who is now pursuing a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry.
Hernandez hopes that Canela’s success in the lab will open doors for more students with service dogs and shift people’s perceptions of what service dogs and their owners are capable of.
“It is incredibly important for science to be accessible for all. By allowing more voices into the room, we are helping expand the research field. Rollins College gave me the tools and support necessary to succeed, but others may not be so lucky. I have succeeded in chemistry by my own merit. However, I could have never physically made it this far without Canela by my side,” she shares.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
