By Amanda Matte

Being an intern at VRG has been a wonderful, eye-opening experience. I originally began working here to gain experience at a non-profit, and since VRG just happened to be local/support a cause I care deeply about, it was a perfect fit. As a lifelong vegetarian, I thought I knew all there was to know about the lifestyle, but through my work here I have become far more informed about vegetarianism, and particularly veganism.

I have started to read up on veganism a great deal on my own time, and have slowly begun to implement changes into my lacto-ovo diet, including, but not limited to, subbing almond milk for cream in my coffee, and giving vegan cheese a try (dairy cheese has always been my vice!).

My tasks here at VRG have been many and varied, and I look forward to observing their benefits in my future career, whatever it may be. I have done a great deal of writing, from blog posts to responding to scholarship entries, have tested and subsequently reviewed vegan products, worked at the VRG booth at VegFest, and even gave HTML a try!

All of these tasks, along with the many others I accomplished since January, have both added to my resume, and to my confidence in skills that will continue to serve me throughout my working life. Another feat I accomplished while working this internship was the planning of a dinner, along with another intern. I am extremely proud of the way it turned out – the dinner was quite a success, and gaining experience in event planning and managing was extremely fulfilling and will certainly be beneficial to me in the future.

I can’t thank VRG enough for taking me on as an intern for these past 5 months. I have greatly enjoyed working with everyone at the office, and also getting to know others involved with VRG. I feel that I have gained crucial knowledge related to nutrition, animal rights, and even the ways in which a vegetarian diet can help the world become a better place from an environmental and ethical standpoint. I hope to return to VRG upon my return to Baltimore in the fall, in order to learn even more and to continue to be of assistance in the wonderful work that they do!

For more information about VRG internships, see http://www.vrg.org/student/

To donate towards VRG internships, scholarships, and other projects, visit www.vrg.org/donate