As members of the Marching Bulldogs move across the practice field, a yellow Labrador retriever named Goose keeps pace nearby. Wearing protective gear during rehearsals and attentively watching his handler, Goose has quickly become a familiar face among band members. Some have even affectionately dubbed him the band's unofficial mascot.
Goose is much more than a beloved companion. He is a highly trained service dog that helps freshman music education major Mackenzie Robertson navigate life with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome(POTS) and functional neurological disorder (FND) as she pursues the college experience she envisioned long before arriving at Samford.
"I knew I wanted that type of community in college," Robertson said of her decision to join the Marching Bulldogs. "Marching band was a huge part of my life in high school, especially in the community sense. Some of my closest relationships are a result of that band."
Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Robertson first discovered Samford while touring colleges during high school. What stood out most was not a building or academic program. It was the people. She remembers seeing students gathered on the Quad, spending time together and enjoying campus life.
"Samford was the school where I saw the most student-to-student connection," she said. "People were out on the Quad throwing football and drawing with chalk and just being college kids. I wanted that."
That search for connection ultimately led her across the country to Birmingham. Her passion for music was shaped by a high school band director who encouraged her to continue participating after a sudden health change altered the course of her life.
Rather than stepping away from music, Robertson leaned further into it.
"Marching band teaches you great life skills such as time management, collaboration, hard work, consistency and cooperation," she said. "It teaches you that you can do hard things."
When she arrived at Samford, the transition to college life was smoother than expected, thanks in part to the friendships she found almost immediately through the band.
"Band, as I had hoped, gave me an awesome community, which made starting classes feel a lot less scary," Robertson said.
She particularly appreciates the way fellow students look out for one another.
"It feels really nice to have friends who will advocate for you," she said.
Robertson describes the freshman class within the band as a diverse group whose support and acceptance have helped her feel at home from the start. Being a member of the Marching Bulldogs means more to Robertson than performing at games and events.
"It means growing my skills around others who love music," she said. "It means having community and getting to be that community to others."
Goose plays an important role in helping Robertson maintain her independence. The one-and-a-half-year-old service dog is trained to retrieve items, provide deep-pressure therapy and assist during medical episodes.
Their partnership began earlier this year after Robertson traveled from Colorado to Tennessee to meet him.
"My dad said we were not supposed to bring a dog home with us," she said with a laugh. "We brought him home."
Since arriving at Samford, Goose has adapted to a busy schedule that includes classes, rehearsals and football game days. To keep him safe and comfortable, he wears hearing protection during indoor rehearsals, protective booties on hot pavement and turf, and rests on a cot during performances.
Despite his popularity around campus, Robertson never loses sight of what Goose makes possible.
"He keeps me safe, and I keep him safe," she said. "He is always in my corner and always willing to help. He is the reason I can be independent."
Still, when asked what has made the biggest difference in her first semester, Robertson's answer returns to the people around her. Faculty members helped prepare for her arrival, and fellow band members embraced Goose as part of the group. More importantly, they welcomed Robertson into a community united by a shared love of music.
As she settles into life as a Samford student, Robertson hopes to invest in that community just as it has invested in her. She is majoring in music education with hopes of one day encouraging future students the way her own band director encouraged her. And for students wondering whether there is a place for them at Samford, she offers simple advice:
"There are so many places to find community, but you cannot expect community to find you."
For Robertson, that community has already taken shape in rehearsal halls, on the practice field and among the friends who now surround her. With Goose by her side and the Marching Bulldogs around her, she has found exactly what she came to Samford looking for: a place to belong.
