Haley Floyd ’25 Turned Empathy into Action with “Pause for Paws” myExperience Project

For her senior myExperience project, Haley Floyd ’25 combined her love of animals with a deep concern for the mental health of young women. Haley launched Pause for Paws, an initiative that brought therapy dogs to campus to offer comfort and connection. She received a 10<20 Youth Impact Award from “Memphis Parent” magazine for her work.
What began as a simple idea became a thoughtful program that helped ease stress and build community at Hutchison. Haley Floyd ’25, who has wanted to be a veterinarian since she was 7 years old, wanted to explore how human-animal interactions could improve mental health. For her myExperience capstone project, she started a program to bring therapy dogs to the Hutchison campus called Pause for Paws. She even arranged a visit from therapy goats, too. 

Haley was unsure if anyone would sign up, but every available slot filled quickly, with upper school students eager to participate. She said it was heartwarming to see the impact on students and faculty who interacted with the therapy dogs, which came in partnership with Mid-South Therapy Dogs.

As part of her project, Haley conducted research on students’ mental health before and after they spent time with the animals. They reported a significant change in their stress levels. Before visiting with the therapy dogs, only 17% of students said they had no or little stress. After the visit, the percentage who said they had little or no stress rose to 80%. More than half reported they had no stress at all after visiting with the furry friends. 

Haley had an opportunity to practice her public speaking and persuasive skills with a large group of Hutchison administrators. She presented her research to Hutchison’s leadership team for approval. The team was impressed with her findings and how she compiled and shared the information. They agreed that her project should move forward.

“This project encouraged the passion I already had and to explore further,” Haley said. “It also taught me a lot of research skills, communication skills, leadership, and encouraged my empathy. It not only shaped me as a professional, but also as a person.” 

Fenway, an Australian shepherd, came to Hutchison as part of a therapy dog visit before the stress of AP exams.

In recognition of her leadership with this unique project, Haley was named a 10<20 Youth Impact Award winner by Memphis Parent magazine, which featured her story in its latest edition. The award honors teens who are trying to make an impact through their school, business, leadership, or service. Memphis Parent said it chose Haley for her determination to improve students’ mental health. She also received an award of distinction for her project from the Institute for Responsible Citizenship.  

“Mental health affects the way that we function in our daily lives,” she said. “It affects the way we feel, the way we act, and it can even affect how we present ourselves physically… It’s important that we learn that it’s okay to not be okay, and we need to normalize that.”

Haley came to Hutchison as a 9th grader after attending Grace St. Luke’s Episcopal School. She knew she wanted to lean into her interest in animal science and veterinary medicine. Hutchison allowed her to explore that and more through classes such as zoology and AP Environmental Science. “Hutchison will support you no matter what you choose to pursue, and they will find ways to challenge you,” she said. “This support allowed me to continue to expand my mind and created a love of learning.”

An AP Scholar with Distinction, Haley completed a rigorous but enriching course load. She also followed her interest by attending pre-veterinary programs at Auburn University and the University of Georgia, where she gained hands-on experience and learned about the broad range of professions in veterinary medicine. Haley’s love of learning is evident to our upper school faculty. They chose her as the recipient of this year’s Sara & Leonard Frey Award, given to a student committed to the life of the mind and to the active pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

Haley pictured with Hutchison Academic Dean Dr. Alyssa Villarreal

Outside of the classroom, Haley was involved in the Honor Council, Philanthropic Literacy Board, Beta Club, varsity soccer team, and Rock Climbing Club, as well as making a courageous leap to take the stage her senior year by acting in The Lightning Thief and Little Women. “The theatre community had a lot of faith in me and supported me as I figured out what I was doing,” she said. “They instilled confidence in me and taught me how to improvise… how to go where the wind takes you sometimes.”

Haley aims to pursue a career in wildlife medicine and conservation. She is planning to attend the University of Georgia to study animal biosciences on a pre-veterinary track and minor in psychology. Haley said she loved her four years at Hutchison, and she couldn’t be more grateful for her experience.

“Without the experience that I’ve had, I wouldn’t be the person I am today,” she said. “Coming into Hutchison, I was fairly shy. I was solely focused on my academics. Now, I’ve grown comfortable with who I am and who I want to be going forward, and I’ve gained a lot of confidence in myself.”

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Memphis, Tennessee 38119
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Hutchison is the leading private girls school in Memphis for ages 2 years old through twelfth grade.