When it's time to take the college plunge, most students will have a lot of adjusting to do. It's not just a matter of evolving study habits and keeping up with classes, but adapting to a whole new lifestyle.
It's only natural for this transition to seem overwhelming, so it definitely helps to make a few friends to help see you through that bumpy ride.
It's not hard to tell who that friend was for one new graduate and he's been such a good friend that the school even recognized him for it.
According to CBS News, she was also diagnosed complex regional pain syndrome when she was 16.
This caused a muscle disorder that kept her from walking, so she now uses a wheelchair.
The day that she interviewed for Clarkson happened to be the exact same day she was approved for a service animal through paws4people.
The animal turned out to be a golden retriever named GRIFFIN.
As she said in a Facebook post, "We were moving to a new place, learning how to become a working handler/service dog team, learning how to take care of each other, and starting a new adventure together!"
For the past two-and-a-half years, he's retrieved items for her, opened doors, turned on lights, and has stood at the ready to get another person or a phone if she falls.
As Brittany told CBS, "I felt more independent, I was more social, I felt more outgoing with him. I pushed from day one, when I graduate, I want GRIFFIN to graduate with me."
As they said in a statement on the school's website, "The two have pursued 100% together a graduate degree in Occupational Therapy attending all the same classes, lectures, faculty appointments, group study sessions, social activities, research projects, and clinical experiences, fully making Griffin an equal member of the Clarkson Golden Knights family."
Now that they've graduated, Brittany will take the board exam to become a licensed occupational therapist in her home state of North Carolina. She said she hopes to help veterans and active duty military when she gets there.
As she said, "I don't like a disability to define the individual, I want the individual to define themselves. I want to show them that."
And of course, GRIFFIN will be right there with her every day.
h/t: CBS News
