Name: Muriel Lee
Year: Senior
Major: Media Arts
Hometown: Greenville, SC
Her Campus South Carolina: What is Cocky’s Canine PAALS?
Muriel Lee: Cocky’s Canine PAALS is a USC student organization that partners with Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services (PAALS), a non-profit service dog training organization based in Columbia. Our members do anything and everything to assist PAALS. Most of the time that means going in at a scheduled time every week to volunteer at their facility. A lot of what we do is also just raising awareness and support on campus for the work that PAALS does.
HCSC: Why did you join Cocky’s Canine PAALS?
ML: I joined PAALS for the same reason other students tell me time and time again at every organization fair: because I missed my dog at home! I am just a huge dog lover (honestly bordering on the fiendish side) and I saw an opportunity at PAALS to spend lots of time with some very cute dogs.
HCSC: What made you want to be president of the club?
ML: To be honest, I never saw myself in this role! I began as the head of social media and then I sort of fell into the role of President when our President at that time could no longer keep the position. I just sort of took the role because I had to. Of course now I don’t regret that at all, no matter how much work running this club can be sometimes! I’ve been able to see the club grow from the very first meeting of maybe about 10 people to what it is now with 60 plus members and the recipient of the Leadership and Service Center’s Service Student Orginization of the Year award and that is so rewarding to me.
HCSC: What do you enjoy most about working with PAALS and why?
ML: Without a doubt, what I enjoy most about working with PAALS is actually getting to see the impact these service dogs have on the people they are paired with after they graduate. I have had the honor to make it to a few PAALS dog graduations (a pretty extensive affair complete with caps and diplomas) and to actually hear the stories from the people in our community who end up receiving them as partners. Abbe, a black lab who I was able to get to know through volunteering, was paired with an autistic teenager and she has really transformed her life – she can even sleep in her own bed now without her mother, something that she hasn’t been able to do in 10 plus years. Some dogs go to veterans affected by PTSD as well and they are able to live so much fuller lives because they have these dogs who help them.
It is so great working with these sweet dogs and being able to play with them, but knowing that you had even a small part in helping to get these dogs to the people who need them is just the greatest feeling.
HCSC: Do you plan to continue working with PAALS or another agency like PAALS after you graduate?
ML: I’m not entirely sure yet! And by that I unfortunately mean I’m not sure what any of my post grad plans are yet, but the people I’ve met at PAALS are some of the most caring and selfless people I’ve ever met so if I have to find another nonprofit to work with to meet more people like the folks at PAALS I wouldn’t be mad at all!
HCSC: How will being the president of this club impact your career?
ML: Oh wow where do I even begin? I mean obviously it’s something I can add to my resume which is never a bad thing, but the lessons I’ve learned in leading this club have really been invaluable. I’ve learned what it takes to be a leader, including everything from time management to communication to leading a team of officers. In my major, so much of the work we do is based around a team environment, so learning to work alongside and lead other officers is a skill I will absolutely take with me into any job I have in the future. I’ve even learned to work on personal things in this position, like self-confidence and public speaking. I still have some work to do on those two but I’ve definitely come a long way!
HCSC: What’s your favorite dog breed and why?
ML: I love classic pit bulls – their super blocky heads are so darn cute. And the scruffier and wirier a terrier is the better!
If you’d like see what Cocky’s Canine PAALS is up to, check out their social media:
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
If you’d like to check out the organization of PAALS, check out their website!