Desire Walker. Photo Deven Sukhdeo.
The AKC Humane Fund, Inc. announced the 2022 recipients of the Sir John D. Spurling Scholarship, celebrating the human-canine bond. Each year, the AKC Humane Fund awards five full-time students enrolled in courses of study that contribute to the well-being of dogs and the advancement of responsible pet ownership. Desire Walker (SEBS’24) is one of those talented five.
“Demonstrating dedication to higher education and a passion for animal welfare are important to the AKC Humane Fund, and these five outstanding students show that they are the future of exemplary pet care professionals,” said Doug Ljungren, President of the AKC Humane Fund. “Each of the recipients has an exceptional academic record and demonstrated their dedication to entering professions to benefit the well-being of dogs. We are pleased to award them with these scholarships and look forward to seeing what they do in the future.”
“Winning this award means a lot to me. I was surprised…and proud,” said Desire, “…especially when I realized that the other awardees included schools like Cornell, a big animal science school. It made me realize that I need to trust myself and to keep striving!”
Desire is minoring in business and wants to help advocate for animals. She currently volunteers at her local animal shelter and is pushing for more transparency and socialization of the animals to further their chances of finding their forever homes. Desire would like to open a shelter someday with her identical twin sister Destiny Walker, who is also an animal science major.
“Desire has the motivation and passion to further her education,” said senior counselor, Patrice Wright, SEBS Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF). “Desire’s will power and motivation stems from being raised in Trenton, New Jersey and wanting more for herself and her sister. She is a full-time SEBS EOF scholar at Rutgers and spends her time training and taking care of animals, seeking to change the structures of animal shelters/animal hospitals and the care and keeping of companion animals.”
The scholarship is named in honor of Sir John D. Spurling, founder of PetPartners, Inc. which provides comprehensive and affordable pet health insurance to pet owners throughout the United States. The AKC Humane Fund awards $2,500 to each of the five scholarship recipients, payable as tuition assistance to accredited institutions in which each student is enrolled in courses of study focusing on the care of pets.
For more about other AKC Humane Fund grants, visit www.akchumanefund.org.
The AKC Humane FundSM promotes responsible pet ownership through education, outreach and grant-making. Through its programs, the AKC Humane Fund supports Parent Club Rescue activities; assists shelters for domestic abuse victims that permit pets and provides resources for responsible dog ownership education. Contributions to the AKC Humane Fund are fully tax deductible as allowed by law under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.
The American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. For more information, visit www.akc.org
Read more about Desire in the 2020 Newsroom piece.
