When Rhonda Buchanan, a professor of Spanish and LALS director, and her husband Bob Buchanan, a professor of Chemistry and Arts and Sciences associate dean of Research, adopted Jake, they knew they wanted to bring him to campus as a therapy dog. He passed his final certification tests on June 28, 2019, and happily accepted the task at hand – to bring comfort to anyone he encounters. 

Before the university transitioned to remote and hybrid learning, Jake’s days were full of visits from students, faculty and staff. 

“I noticed when I got him and started bringing him to work with me, students came to see me much more often – and I know for a fact it was more to see him,” Rhonda Buchanan said. “I mean, how many times can they come to see me for advising, right?”

There was a steady stream of people coming in to the LALS resource center in Stevenson Hall where students had treats, coffee, tea and visits from Jake as they studied. His presence created an opening for students who may not have otherwise sought help to come in and ask questions. 

“Jake is one of my favorite parts of the program,” said Alarah Gillum, a third-year LALS major and LALS student assistant. “When I’ve had a stressful day or I’ve had a lot of work, it just brightens my day to see Dr. B and get some love from Jake.” 

The jingling of the tags on Jake’s collar as he trots through the halls of Stevenson is usually a clear indicator that someone’s day is about to get a little bit better.

“Jake brings such a sense of joy to students. [He’s] always happy to see you and always has a tail wag and lots of kisses,” said Jan Rayburn, an administrative specialist with Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. “The last year it’s been really lonely and I miss him a lot.” 

As a bit of a social butterfly, the past year has been hard on Jake, too. Just as students, faculty and staff benefit from Jake, he benefits from them. 

“I think [the pandemic] has really affected him because I was doing more remote teaching,” Buchanan said. “Recently, when things lifted up a little more I started bringing him back in. I think he notices the difference because he truly enjoys meeting new people when we walk across campus.”

When Buchanan is teaching in person, she often brings Jake along to greet her students for a few minutes before class, but even when a lesson is virtual or he isn’t able to make an in-person appearance, his photos are sprinkled throughout the professor’s slideshows.

On a typical day, Jake makes classroom appearances, joins Buchanan for office hours, checks in with friends like Alarah and Jan and relaxes in the LALS tranquility garden. One of the most exciting parts of the day, though, is walking to and from the car. That’s when he gets to do his favorite thing – meet new people. 

Needless to say, Jake is looking forward to seeing more students as they come back to campus. He welcomes everyone – not just members of the LALS program – so, if you see him walking around with his “pet me” harness, be sure to make his day and offer him some love.

The encourages students to pursue academic careers in political science and features an intensive five-week program at Duke University during the summer. Students from the U.S. and its territories are eligible for the award.

For Martinez, the scholarship means she can focus on something very near and dear to her own heart: helping immigrant and refugee populations.

“I am an immigrant myself and seeing the hardship immigrants can experience was something that I could connect to and wanted to change or at least be part of the process,” said the political science and Latin American and Latino studies major.

Born in Colombia, Martinez moved to the U.S. when she was 7 years old.

She remembers what it is like to move to a new country, learn a new language and adopt a new culture. She has spent years helping others face those same challenges by volunteering for the Americana Community Center and Kentucky Refugee Ministries. On campus, she is involved at the Cultural Center as part of the Hispanic Latino Initiative.

As a Ralph Bunche scholar, Martinez will take graduate-level courses, conduct research and take part in special lectures and events aimed at helping students from underrepresented backgrounds learn about graduate school.

During her time at UofL, Martinez says several professors helped her explore her academic possibilities. Those professors include and in the Department of Political Science,  in the Department of History and in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages.

While Martinez has not decided what to do after graduation, she is considering the Peace Corps, PhD programs and applying for the student Fulbright award.