By Nina Lehr, VRG Intern

Like many other college students, I spent the better part of January 2021 searching for a virtual internship. I knew I wanted to find one that would allow me to hone in on my writing and journalistic skills, but I wasn’t sure what kind of company or organization would be a good fit. Once I stumbled upon The Vegetarian Resource Group internship page, however, I was immediately excited about the possibility of combining my interest in media with my passion for vegetarianism. Throughout the duration of my internship, I was able to complete a variety of projects that allowed me to do just that!

     I started by writing entries for the VRG online USA/Canada restaurant guide. This was a great way for me to practice compiling information from a variety of sources. It was also awesome to get to learn about a variety of vegan and vegan-friendly eateries throughout the country! I look forward to hopefully visiting some of the restaurants I wrote about one day.

     One of my favorite parts of my internship was reading and responding to essay applications to the VRG College Scholarship Contest. It was truly amazing to hear the inspiring stories of today’s vegetarian youth! So many applicants wrote engaging essays about how their vegetarian lifestyle has empowered them to make an influence in their local community.

     Another highlight of my internship was contributing to Veggie Bits– a Vegetarian Journal column dedicated to vegan product reviews. I was sent a package of LongEve Plant-Based Protein Crumbles and Breadless Crumbs, which I used to make lettuce wraps and heart of palm “crab” cakes. It was great to be exposed to a product I had never heard of before and to have the chance to make two new dishes out of them.

     Throughout my internship, I also wrote a series of blog posts. The first one was a review of Wildseed, an amazing plant-based restaurant in San Francisco, CA. I tried a variety of different dishes with my parents and enjoyed the opportunity to summarize the memorable experience in a review. I also worked with another VRG intern to write a blog post about tips on starting a vegetarian club in high school. Being able to connect and collaborate with a fellow VRG intern was fun and rewarding for both of us.

     The next blog post was about the vegan options available at my school, Santa Clara University in California. It was fun to reflect on what I ate on and around campus, especially since I haven’t been able to go back to campus in a while.

     Another memorable experience was writing a book review of In Search of the Wild Tofurky, Seth Tibbott’s memoir centered around his life and journey of founding the Tofurky Company. The story was heartfelt, engaging, and full of lessons for both life and business, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing it.

     The final blog post I wrote was a profile of Hiroko Kato, a freelance writer based in Tokyo and a former VRG intern. I loved hearing about her current work on a vegan nutrition book. In addition, it was fascinating to hear her thoughts about the state of vegetarianism and the movement’s future within Japan.

     All in all, my VRG internship was a rewarding experience that allowed me to grow as a writer and expand my knowledge of vegetarianism. I highly recommend it to any student interested in writing, media, and the vegetarian lifestyle!

For more information on The Vegetarian Resource Group internships, see

https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

To support VRG internships, donate to The Vegetarian Resource Group at vrg.org/donate