By Devlyn Perugini

During my senior year in high school I applied for The Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship. I was one of eight finalists. I wasn’t awarded the scholarship but a year later was offered a two month internship at The Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore, Maryland! I thought what an amazing opportunity this would be and arranged to get to the mainland from Hawai’i. Leading up to the internship I was very nervous. I had never done an internship before and didn’t know what to expect. Eventually my nervousness subsided and I was able to enjoy working in the office, running booths, and having great experiences.

Working in the office was nice because I followed a schedule that helped me organize all of my projects including writing a Teen FAQ, Veggie Product Reviews, and a Vegetarian Action article! I also had side projects such as writing summaries of VRG outreach booths and events, and working on restoring the Vegetarian Game for the VRG website. I never worked in an office before but I was able to adapt quickly. Everyone in the VRG office is very friendly and encouraging. Their support helped tremendously.

What I loved doing the most was staffing the VRG booths. That’s where I felt like I made the most positive impact. I really enjoyed talking to people about their vegetarianism, veganism, or interest in learning more. I was happy to be able to help people. We had booths at The Charles Village Festival in Baltimore, The Richmond VegFest in Virginia, Taking Action for Animals Conference in Washington, DC, and The Waverly Farmer’s Market in Baltimore. All of these booths were unique and taught me something new. On top of all of the work, making connections that ultimately led to friendships was amazing.

Throughout this internship I have learned so much, for which I’m thankful. I have a new found confidence in my veganism and feel completely capable of continuing to spread this good work. I realize that promoting vegetarianism and veganism is my passion. It’s what I do best. I also have a deeper understanding for animals and how truly important it is to help and love them. Admittedly, this internship has taught me how to be a better college student as well. That has always been a goal of mine and now I know what to do. This includes planning ahead, staying on task with a schedule, and organizing my time wisely. I am very excited to apply what I’ve learned to this coming school year and my life. I am so happy to have done an internship with The Vegetarian Resource Group.

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