Rebecca Ann Capitano Award Carries On Legacy

credit: Wikimedia Commons

When Rebecca Ann Capitano died in a car accident in 2023 at the age of 24, she left behind a legacy that her family and friends hope will live on.

The Buffalo News reports the 24-year-old's family and friends have set up the Rebecca Ann Capitano Award, which will honor a graduating senior in the animal sciences field in Capitano's name.

"It brings us some comfort knowing that future animal science students will get this extra boost to continue their studies and that their careers will support animal welfare for years to come," Capitano's father, Paul Capitano, says.

Rebecca Capitano and her husky mix Aurora were inseparable, the Post-Journal reports.

"Truly inseparable, they traveled together everywhere, very often to Zoar Valley, but it was in one another's company when they felt most at home," her father says.

Rebecca Capitano earned blue ribbons at New York state skills assessment challenges and became a popular pet groomer.

She also earned a veterinary technician scholarship, secured the role of dog warden for the town of Poland, and became one of the area's most popular pet groomers.

"She had an unspoken, yet unbreakable relationship with animals, with whom her timid and shy personality would disappear," her father says.

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