By Amy Dell

During my first semester of college, I, along with every other freshman and transfer student, had to take a ‘college-prep’ class about how to make the most out of the college experience. One of our guest speakers for that class was someone who worked at the Career Center. Of the many questions she asked the group, there’s only one that stuck with me: “Have any of you guys worked at a job or had an internship that’s in your field of study?” This question stuck out to me in particular, not because it was out of the ordinary, but because I was the only one in the class that raised my hand. It was in that moment that I was able to more fully appreciate how lucky I was to have my first summer internship with The Vegetarian Resource Group. 

In my write-up from last year, I mentioned how much this internship can be tailored to each individual. For me, that meant lots of writing with a little bit of environmental science thrown in the mix. At the time, my career goal was journalism, so the idea of being published in the Vegetarian Journal and on our VRG Blog was exciting. Throughout the school year, however, my interests changed slightly, as did my aspirations. When VRG co-coordinator Charles Stahler contacted me about doing another internship this summer, I knew that all I would have to do was tell him my new goals and he would align this year’s tasks with what would help me reach them. 

My summer 2019 internship included more long-term assignments and outreach events. For example, I worked closely with VRG volunteer Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD to create a vegan menu for those receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). I had helped with the menu portion of the project last summer, but this summer I coordinated the pricing portion. This step was to ensure that our menu fit within the benefits of the program, and also served to highlight the price differences across stores and geographic locations. I worked with other interns and volunteers to find the prices of our menu ingredients at various stores across Maryland and Iowa. I then calculated the final price of the ingredients based on the quantity needed for each recipe. I loved this project because it was a great way for me to develop my communication skills and help show people that vegan diets are achievable at any price-point. 

This summer, I was also able to “run point” or coordinate the VRG booth at several outreach events across the Maryland/D.C. area. In addition to tabling at the 32nd Street Farmers Market again, I was also able to run the VRG table at: Roots Vegan Fest in Clarksville, The (three day!) Animal Rights National Conference in D.C., and D.C. Veg Fest. I also helped at the VRG booth for Vegan Soulfest in Baltimore and taught a vegan cooking class at Christopher Place Employment Center alongside VRG volunteer and Health and Wellness Coach Marcy Schveibinz. 

Throughout the entire summer, I was able to build on my experiences from last summer while exploring new topics and projects that interested me. I can’t wait to use what I learned this year in the future!

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

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at www.vrg.org/donate