My parents decided to go vegetarian a little before I was born, so they raised me as such. But by the time I was 3, however, they went back to eating animal products. Despite this, I stayed vegetarian and refused to eat meat when it was offered. When I turned 12, I started learning more about the dairy industry and realized if I wanted to make an authentic change I needed to go vegan. I ditched dairy and eggs and never looked back. Within my first couple years of high school, I wrote articles for my school paper in relation to veganism – mostly recipe ideas or vegan food places. In my sophomore year, I was given the opportunity to give a speech on veganism in front of all the English classes. I was terrified of what people would think about it, but I thought the message was so important, I decided to commit. I got mean looks and snickers, but ultimately, people came up to me and asked for clarification on some things I discussed. Seeing an opportunity for leadership, I joined the Raven Corps. It was a lot of work, organizing zoom calls, giving and receiving feedback. I joined a bi-weekly filmed campaign, where the scenarios of the game led to real-life discussion of activism. I then started my own branch of Ravens Corp, in which I attended marches, organized meetings, and advocated for plant-based milk options for my school.
Veganism is important to me because it gives me hope for the future. I think there is a lot of injustice going on in the animal agriculture industry, but know that there’s an extremely dedicated group of people out there who feel the same about the industry as I do and want to combat it.
Support Young Veg Activists
To send support for additional scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate or call (410) 366-8343. You can also send a donation to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.
Do you know an amazing high school student who promoted veganism? If so, let them know about our annual scholarship contest. The deadline for high school seniors is February 20th of each year. To see scholarship rules and past winners, visit www.vrg.org/student/scholar