By Karen Leibowitz
VRG Intern

VRG Interns, Karen and Devlyn, helping a visitor at Richmond Vegfest.

My internship with The Vegetarian Resource Group this summer was educational and an important experience for my future. As a vegetarian dietetics student, it was great to work on several projects with a registered dietitian (RD), as well as meet other professionals in the field of dietetics. I got to staff The Vegetarian Resource Group booth at the Richmond Vegetarian Festival with a volunteer who has a PhD in Nutrition, interview and write an article about an RD from Texas, and hear a local RD’s thoughts on veganism and dietetics over a meal. The projects I worked on helped me gain knowledge on different fields within dietetics relating to vegetarianism.

I also contributed parts to a chapter about school lunch guidelines, and drafted a nutrition evaluation from a week-long vegan meal plan. I learned about obtaining unbiased sources for write-ups, and making sure the wording of sentences don’t include false claims. Through volunteering at booths in farmer’s markets and conferences, it was very encouraging to be able to speak with new vegetarians, curious omnivores, and long-time vegans. I was able to see how vegetarianism impacted people’s lives, and provide helpful resources, thanks to the VRG.

If you are interested in a Vegetarian Resource Group internship, visit: http://www.vrg.org/student/
To support Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at http://www.vrg.org/donate