Community Corner

Orland Park Woman and Service Dog Don Matching Cap and Gown

Orland Park native Bridget Evans and her service dog Hero have become an Internet sensation, after she shared a photo of the two in cap and gown for graduation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

An Orland Park native and University of Illinois graduate says she owes it all to her dog—her Hero. 

Bridget Evans, who is in a wheelchair due to disabilities related to spina bifida, received her Master's degree from the College of Applied Health Sciences last weekend, and Hero never left her side. 

He even dressed for the occasion in his very own cap and gown. The two posed for a photo which was shared on Imgr and shortly afterward went viral, even warming hearts at Huffington Post

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"This is my service dog, Hero, after we graduated with our Master's degrees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign," she wrote in a caption accompanying the photo.

"Hero knows over 40 commands to assist me," she added on Reddit on Monday. "He loves to retrieve objects for me like envelopes, pens, my crutches, etc. He also turns off the lights, opens doors, and he pulls me in my wheelchair up ramps! I couldn't have gone to college without him."

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Although Hero became a celebrity after his appearance at the ceremony, Evans was a standout at the college years before.

During her college career, Evans helped lead the first-ever service dog training program on a college campus. She took her experience as a volunteer trainer with the Mid-America Service Dogs Foundation and formed a training partnership with the foundation and the Applied Health Sciences Student Council. In its debut year, the program trained three dogs to assist disabled students on campus. 

Evans graduated with her Master's degree in Community Health. 

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