A new face is turning heads on campus: a dog named Cova.

Cova is a service dog that accompanies senior Yesenia Castelan throughout the day.

“It makes me really happy to see how positive people have reacted to having her on campus,” Castelan said. “I love how a lot of people smile when they see her and she makes not just me feel better, but other people feel better.”

While Cova’s presence on campus has brightened the days of Castelan and others around her, some people do not always understand her role. Cova is a service dog, trained to help people suffering from anxiety.

While some people are familiar with seeing service dogs helping the guide the blind, anxiety is another common condition that these dogs can help treat. Dogs help anxiety sufferers by providing comforting companionship and a sense of purpose for their owners.

While Castelan says that most students are respectful, there are a few occasions when some can’t contain their reactions to seeing a dog on campus.

“Maybe once or twice I’ve had people whistling at her in the hallway or someone will come up and just start petting her, and I’m trying to get to class. But for the most part it’s pretty positive things. People have been pretty mature about it.”

However, none of this would have been possible for Castelan if not for the school staff giving her the help she needs.

”I feel like they’ve supported me in every way they can,” Castelan said. “And I know that Cova has been the first service dog they’ve had on campus so I really appreciate it.”

It was a struggle for Castelan to figure out what she was going to do so she could bring Cova to school.

“I didn’t want to just show up for the first day of school like ‘hey I have a dog’ so in the summer I came and told the office staff and we had a meeting to see if they would allow her to come with me.”

Cova and Castelan were put on a trial period for the first three weeks of school to see how it went to make sure she wasn’t a big distraction for other kids. If that went well she would be able to stay, Castelan said.

Castelan has started a new club called Endurance of Life for students willing to talk about their problems and help other students feel more open to seeing things in a more positive light. The club meets on Mondays in English teacher Georgina Morell’s room after school.

For members, it’s much more than just a normal club. It’s a safe place where they feel safe. They said it helps them feel better about life.

“It’s a place where you can get away from your problems,” junior Zaasia McDonald said. “You can talk about them and if you’ve had an overwhelming or bad day you can come in and we talk about it.”