The B.A.R.K. program simply would not be possible without the dedication and passion of our student volunteers. Each year, we conclude the academic year by celebrating our graduating students. This year we show our appreciation for, and celebrate the achievements of, five wonderful volunteers who have dedicated over 17 years between them to the B.A.R.K. program! Last week, we were able to celebrate these individuals crossing the stage and wish to send our most heartfelt congratulations for their achievements!
Madisyn Szypula – MASc in Mechanical Engineering (‘26) Madisyn began volunteering with B.A.R.K. in 2019 and quickly became a senior B.A.R.K. volunteer. Many will recognize Maddy from drop-ins and BARK2Go sessions, but Maddy is also an integral member of the B.A.R.K. research team. Throughout her time with B.A.R.K., Maddy has assisted with many research studies and co-authored studies examining the outcomes of participating in canine-assisted interventions by gender and the impact of B.A.R.K. on University student loneliness. Maddy completed her degree in 2025 and we are delighted that she is now thriving in her engineering position based in Kelowna, and continues to connect with the B.A.R.K. team!
Suneet ‘Sunny’ DiSilva – MDS (Master of Data Science, ‘26) Despite Sunny only joining the team officially in 2024, his positive energy and strong ability to connect with others has made him a strong member of the B.A.R.K. team. Sunny was been an integral member of the data collection team during the drop-ins and has always been willing to help with BARK2Go, VEDA sessions, and all of our special events. Sunny completed his degree in 2025 and has since moved to Vancouver. We were delighted to celebrate with Sunny and his family last week and are thrilled to know that he is doing so well in his career!
Erem Ozdemir – BSc in Computer Science, Honours (‘26)
Erem is probably best known as one of our talented photographers, capturing those beautiful moments of connection between therapy dogs and university students. Erem only officially joined the team in 2025, but his positive energy and natural ability to connect with others quickly made him an important member of the B.A.R.K. team. He has strong interpersonal skills and is excellent at making people feel welcome and valued at sessions. It won’t be the same without both his creativity and passion for the mission of the program. We are so proud of Erem for completing his degree but will miss him and his infectious smile immensely!
Clara Jurgenliemk – BA in Psychology, Honours (‘26) Many will know Clara from her novel research on adapting B.A.R.K. sessions for autistic students. As one of our 2022 volunteer additions, Clara has been an invaluable member of the B.A.R.K. team. Alongside her innovative autism research, she has been involved with multiple other studies, led BARK2Go sessions, joined the Giving Day committee, and has continually been a key team member at drop-in sessions. We are thankful for Clara’s unwavering commitment to the program and her desire to engage in meaningful research. Her loyalty and positivity will benefit her as she pursues clinical psychology! We wish you all the best, Clara.
Mia Callahan – BA in Psychology (‘26) Mia began volunteering with B.A.R.K. in 2023 and has since become an integral part of the team. During her time with the program, Mia has always been known for being reliable and dedicated and makes each therapy-dog handler team feel special. B.A.R.K. is known to be a fast-paced, dynamic environment, but Mia has a cool, calm, and collected energy, and a wicked sense of humour, rendering everyone at ease! It would be remiss of us not to mention her fondness and special connection with Henry, Dr. Binfet’s therapy dog. We are excited to announce that Mia intends on remaining in Kelowna and will continue as one of our loyal volunteers! Henry will be thrilled!
We would also like to acknowledge and celebrate two additional graduates who may not have been volunteers of B.A.R.K. (technically), but are considered treasured members of our pack:
Kayla Rauser – BSc in Zoology (’26)
Laura Taylor – BSc in Earth and Environmental Sciences (’26)
Finally, we wish to take a moment to celebrate one more long-term volunteer who graduated in May with a M.A. in Clinical Counselling and Human-Animal Interactions from Prescott College, Arizona:
Mikaela Dahlman – M.A. in Clinical Counselling and Human-Animal Interactions (‘26)
Mikaela joined the B.A.R.K. team in 2020. Since then, she has been involved in research exploring the impact of therapy dog sessions based on participant gender, terminology in the field of human-animal interactions, the effects of interacting with different parts of a therapy dog (“segments”), what students report as meaningful in CAIs, and tailoring sessions for autistic students. Mikaela also completed her master’s research by interviewing B.A.R.K. handlers in which she explored the role of the therapy dog handler in relation to professional counselling skills. She has been a co-author on publications in Human-Animal Interactions and People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice. Thank you for all of your contributions, Mikaela!