Service dog receives diploma at New Jersey college graduation

Justin, a six-year-old labrador-golden retriever, was wearing a blue mortar board and a “Class of 2023” bandana as he was handed his diploma by Seton Hall President Joseph E. Nye

Justin, the service dog for Grace Mariani, was presented with a diploma. | Seton Hall video screenshot published on Twitter

By Katarina Hall

May 29, 2023 11:06am

Updated: May 29, 2023 11:06am

A service dog was among thousands of students receiving their college diplomas at New Jersey’s Seton Hall University’s commencement ceremony last week.

The service dog, Justin, walked the stage at the Prudential Center in Newark in May next to his owner, Grace Mariani, who is in a motorized wheelchair.

Justin, a six-year-old labrador-golden retriever, was wearing a blue mortar board and a “Class of 2023” bandana as he was handed his diploma by Seton Hall President Joseph E. Nye.

A now-viral video shared by the university’s Twitter page shows the moment Justin grabs the diploma with his mouth alongside his owner, followed by loud cheers from the crowd.

According to the university, the dog was awarded the diploma because he attended all of Mariani’s college classes.

Mariani graduated with a bachelor of science degree in education. In the future, she plans to teach elementary and special education. Justin has been by her side since she received him from the nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence in Long Island.

“When Grace was matched with Canine Companions service dog Justin, she said her dream was to go away to college and become a teacher,” Jeanine Konopelski, Vice President of Marketing and Advocacy said in an email to CNN.

“She shared that with Justin by her side, she has the best chance for a successful, independent life,” Konopelski said.

Justin is not the first dog to receive an award in recent months, reported People Magazine. In October, a black labrador-retriever companion dog received an award from cruise ship line Holland America for spending over 700 cumulative days onboard a company’s cruise ship.

The 10-year-old dog, named Joska, has accompanied his owner Cornelia “Connie” Marinussen, who is legally blind on several trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean.

“Joska is the first service animal to achieve this lofty status, and we wanted to honor her with an event that shows her how special she is to everyone in our company,