New York, NY – The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest dog registry and leading industry authority and advocate for dogs, is pleased to announce that 12 exceptional students from 11 states have been awarded American Kennel Club (AKC®) Junior Scholarships for 2021 in Companion and Performance events. The scholarships are offered to high school and college students.
Companion Events Scholarship applicants are evaluated based on academic performance, involvement in AKC events and community outreach. They are required to submit documentation that they are members of a club and have volunteered to work, as well as, an essay on how the applicant has been involved with promoting any Companion Event to others within their school and/or community and the impact it has had on their life or the lives of others.
“These young people are dedicated not only to the Companion Events sports, but to their communities and their academics as well,” said Pamela Manaton, Director of Obedience, Rally and Tracking. Carrie DeYoung, Director of Agility, added “It gives us great pleasure to reward these students with our AKC Companion Events Junior Scholarships. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors in their studies and involvement with dogs and The American Kennel Club.”
This years’ recipients have accomplished a great deal in the dog world and participate in many different sports, including agility, obedience, rally, conformation and more. These young women plan to continue their participation and will certainly continue to be great advocates of the sports.
2021 Companion Events Junior Scholarship Recipients
| First Name | Last Name | State |
| Abigail | Anderson | CO |
| Kellsy | Burk | CA |
| Emily | Burrier | OH |
| Jordon | Dove | WA |
| Riley | Draus | PA |
| Dana | George | IL |
| Gabriella | Kabakchieva | WI |
| Jordan | Phoenix | TX |
Performance Event Scholarship applicants are evaluated based on academic performance, extracurricular activities, participation in AKC Performance Events and involvement with AKC clubs. They are required to submit documentation they are a member of an AKC club and have provided volunteer work to assist with their club’s events or activities. Applicants must also write an essay on the impact their participation in AKC Performance Events has made on their life.
“We are excited to acknowledge these outstanding individuals who have committed their time to learning and working with their dog in the field as well as applying their efforts in the classroom,” said Caroline Murphy, Director of Performance Events. “We are proud to recognize the accomplishments of these inspiring students by awarding them an AKC Performance Events Junior Scholarship. We wish them much success in their future studies and continued involvement with purpose bred dogs,” added Doug Ljungren, Executive Vice President of Sports and Events.
This years’ recipients are a diverse representation of AKC Performance sports. They have achieved quite a bit in the dog community and have participated in pointing breed hunt tests, coonhound events, herding trials, retriever hunt tests and more. These students were able to discover their passion in purpose bred dogs early in their lives by being introduced to these sports through family and friends. AKC congratulates these recipients who have become wonderful ambassadors to their sports and who will continue to lead the way for future juniors.
2021 Performance Events Junior Scholarship Recipients
| First Name | Last Name | State |
| Meaghan | Edwards | CA |
| Lucas | Holzen | NC |
| O’Malley | McGee | SC |
| Lanie | York | UT |
For more information on AKC Scholarships, please visit www.akc.org.
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Photo credit is David Woo © AKC.
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