Graduate Team: Sofia and Quinlan
About the Team: Quinlan, a male black Lab, is Sofia’s 3rd Guiding Eyes dog
Hometown: New York, New York
Training: January 2026 On-Campus
Sofia lives in New York City with her guide dog, Quinlan, who is settling into a fast and confident NYC pace. They commute to the office together, where Sofia works as a UX researcher on the Meta Ray-Ban glasses team, focusing on accessibility and AI experiences. She explores how users interact with technology and brings those insights back to the product team, helping ensure the product is both useful and easy to use. In her free time, Sofia enjoys reading fiction, tandem biking, staying involved in her church, and spending time with friends and family. Now and then, she even enjoys an occasional adrenaline-inducing activity like skydiving!
How would you describe your guide dog? Quinlan is absolutely the best! He is so sweet, gentle, and smart. He quickly adapted to navigating the busy streets of New York City. When we first got home from training, he was really polite. If someone was in his way, he would slow down and give them the right of way. Within a few days, though, he learned that you’re not going to get anywhere walking like that in NYC! You need to make your own path and walk with speed and confidence. It was very cool to see him learn how to be a New Yorker so quickly! When Quinlan isn’t in his work harness, he is super cuddly and playful. His sweetness goes beyond his guiding; it’s all-encompassing!”
What made you decide to apply for a guide dog from Guiding Eyes? “I had my previous guide dog from Guiding Eyes, Karleen, for 9 years, from high school to college, and she was an absolute rock star. In 2024, I was matched with another dog from Guiding Eyes, and the partnership didn’t work out, but Guiding Eyes was amazing to work with throughout that process. They try to work things out and do the best for everyone. So, the combination of those two experiences – a really successful long-term partnership and a positive experience with a match that ultimately didn’t work out – led me to really want to stay with Guiding Eyes for my next guide dog.”
How has having a guide dog impacted your life? This is the safest I have felt in 3 years, which is huge. Three years ago, I got sideswiped by a quiet car, and it was particularly harrowing because there was nothing I could’ve done differently, skill or mobility-wise. The car was too quiet, and they didn’t look for pedestrians, so I didn’t hear them, and they didn’t see me. My vision also went down a bit when my condition was supposed to be pretty stable, so I couldn’t really see the crosswalk lines anymore. I’m very stubborn, so I kept walking, but it took up so much time, energy, and effort. Now, with Quinlan, I can get places easily knowing that I am walking with someone I can trust to guide me quickly and safely.”
Were there any training highlights? There were definitely multiple! For one, I was in training on my birthday, and Chef Rob baked a cake for me with my favorite colors on it, which was so sweet. One of the nurses didn’t know he had done that, so she got a cake, which she thought wasn’t big enough, so then she proceeded to buy another cake! Suddenly, there were 3 different cakes at training, all for my birthday. I had cake for the longest time! Also, when I first learned that I matched with Quinlan, I had been a tiny bit skeptical because he was a big boy, and I’m 5 feet tall. I had only ever been matched with smaller female dogs before, so I didn’t know how it was going to work out. Once we started training together, it all made sense. I never feel overpowered by him, and he is really receptive to my commands, corrections, and gestures. He is such a gentle, sweet boy, but it is funny to imagine me next to my giant guide dog!”
NAME Quinlan
DOB: 10/28/2023
Litter ID: 3Q323
Color/Breed: Black/Labrador Retriever
Gender: Male
Brood: Quay
Stud: Darren
Littermates: Quinoa, Quasar
Region: North Carolina
Regional Puppy Instructor: Jennifer Thurman
Puppy Raiser: Tamara Flinchum
Facebook: North Carolina Puppy Raisers
Quinlan is a happy-go-lucky, confident pup. He loves swimming and playing hard whether it is with his humans (tug and fetch) or with other pups (tug and chase). While he enjoys playtime, he is very focused when it’s time to work. Quinlan went to my office with me. Lots of puppy snores were heard during our meetings. My co-workers were especially helpful in his socialization. Quinlan is well loved by his raiser family and we will miss his snuggles and kisses. We are all very proud of Quinlan and wish him the best with his new partner. ~ Tamara Flinchum
