For a lot of students, graduation day is about celebrating the people who helped them get there: family, friends, teachers. But for Montreal engineering student, Victor Bal, one of the most important companions on that journey has been his service dog, Kopeck, who attended every single university class with him at École Polytechnique de Montréal. Victor is graduating this spring with a degree in mechanical engineering, and his story is shining a light on accessibility, neurodiversity, and the life-changing impact service animals can have. He spoke to Andrew Carter.

Image: THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Kenney