A Kennesaw State Honors College student competed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York on Tuesday, Feb. 12, after advancing to the finals.
Claire Ctibor, a criminal justice major, competed in the junior showmanship preliminary on Feb. 12, where she was chosen as one of the eight finalists from the 100 participants at Madison Square Garden. The junior showmanship is a classification from ages 9 to 18 in which only the top eight qualified juniors are invited to compete.
Ctibor, 18, was invited to the competition for the third year in a row and competed for her second time in the finals, where she received a $500 scholarship.
“I’ve been dog showing for almost 11 years now,” Ctibor said. “It’s really an honor for me to have the chance to compete. There is always something to improve on at the competition. I had to learn a lot about prioritizing and responsibility when I first got a dog when I was 8.”
In addition to being accepted into the Honor’s College, Ctibor has been accepted into the President’s Emerging Global Scholar’s Program, a program that emphasizes the importance of developing leadership skills, according to KSU’s website. She has credited PEGS for helping her gain dog showing experience over the past 10 years.
“I was able to use my experiences through the dogs shows to understand leadership and mentor some of the younger junior handlers,” Ctibor said.
Ctibor described dog showing as her happy place and said that she competes in 30 shows every year. In addition to competing and staying on top of her demanding honors coursework, Ctibor runs her own dog grooming business and works several hours a week part-time at a local restaurant.
Ctibor said that she had learned to adapt to this lifestyle at a young age in addition to being on the school track team and being accepted into two honors societies.
“My life has always been a pretty go-go-go life,” Ctibor said. “It’s what I know, so I’ve pretty much learned to thrive in this kind of lifestyle.”
Ctibor won the American Kennel Club’s junior showmanship national championship, out of 160 competitors in December, earning her place to represent the United States at an international dog show in England in March.
“I’m really excited about meeting kids from other countries with [the] same passion as me,” Ctibor said.
Ctibor will also spend spring break in Costa Rica on a service trip with PEGS with her fellow students, as well as travel to Italy next year to study abroad. Studying abroad and service is part of the experience with PEGS.
