Humans of St. Norbert:

“When I was a freshman, I was very homesick. I had been used to always having a dog in my life so not having one around definitely changed my mood. Pause for Paws is a student organization [I helped start] on campus that focuses around volunteering at animal shelters and supporting students that deal with homesickness. The group is a place where students can come and relax and meet new people while also getting interactions with dogs.

“That one-on-one interaction with the dogs from the shelter does a lot for our members in pulling out happy emotions. I think it's safe to say that every dog, no matter if they're your own or somebody else's, definitely gives off that caring, loving feeling which definitely helps with the homesickness.

“One event that we have hosted twice now was making dog toys out of fleece, T-shirts and denim. We made pretty close to 80 dog toys to donate to a local Green Bay animal shelter, Happily Ever After, which is also the shelter that we volunteer with. It's been super nice to see those dogs play with the toys. It makes all of us students feel really good that we're able to help animals that don't have a loving home or a family yet.” – Jessica Steffens ’23