By Kalie Ganem
This semester, I had the privilege to intern with The Vegetarian Resource Group. Every week, I wrote articles and did projects for the Vegetarian Journal and website www.vrg.org, some of which included writing an article about vegan snacks for gymnasts, reviewing a Maryland restaurant, and writing a review of Goucher College’s vegan options.
One of my favorite parts of the job was attending events that made vegan education more accessible to the public, including a booth at Vegan Soulfest and the Annual VRG Vegan Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner. At these events, I was able to work directly with people transitioning into vegetarianism and helped them with ideas on how to balance their new diet. I also heard many stories from vegan veterans; such as a nurse trying to get her overweight patients to try a plant-based diet, and a politician who had experienced torment in the media for his lifestyle choice. These conversations expanded my worldview, and only reinforced my choice to be vegan. They brought so much inspiration and positivity into my life, as well as taught me how to form relationships and orally articulate my views. Developing these skills now will help me in my future endeavors as a doctor, working with superiors, peers, and patients. So I’m glad I got the chance to learn and practice these so early in life.
Another part of the job I enjoyed was getting to taste and review new vegan foods in a segment in Vegetarian Journal called “Veggie Bits.” As fun as this was, it really challenged my ability to describe what I was experiencing, as I’ve never had to describe foods before. One of the aspects I found most fulfilling about my time here was learning even more about the impact being vegetarian has on the world. I had always known that eating meat was problematic for the environment, but I had never fully understood how much of an impact one person has on reducing this impact simply by being vegetarian. I used to have the attitude that each individual person is practically powerless to the broken system and the way things are. But working here has taught me that each individual’s actions matter, and every time you can employ tiny acts of activism in your life and consumption, the world is better for it. Everything begins with one person. The combination of this knowledge and being surrounded by adult role models who were successfully employing and promoting vegan diets inspired me to actually make the switch from vegetarianism to veganism.
Eating has turned from a passive experience and just something I just had to do into something that inspires me. I feel strong, empowered, and healthy now that I have such control over what I am consuming, and I owe that all to working here. Overall, I am incredibly glad I got the opportunity to intern here and would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow. I wish the VRG organization the best of luck and would like to thank them for everything they have done for me.
For information about internships, see: https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php
To support The Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at: www.vrg.org/donate