Photo by Bodhi Wayne Spier

Coda wrote: When I’m at school my friends notice I eat no meat and they ask if I’m vegetarian. I tell them “Yes! Vegan actually.” They seem surprised. I’m six foot six, a healthy, high-level dancer and weightlifter who is fit and almost never sick. “How could HE be vegan? Aren’t vegans pale and sickly?” they probably think, and, in that way, I promote veganism at my school by being me.

At my high school I have encouraged my Culinary Arts Class and Food Science class to include vegan recipes as well as consider vegan nutrition. Last week we made a vegan Tomato Soup that was amazing. Additionally, I was voted into the position of Sous Chef in the French Club I’m in so of course we explore French vegan food. My dream is to become a vegan chef. I’m still pinching myself that I’ve enrolled in and been accepted to the Plant-Based Cuisine program at Escoffier Culinary College in Colorado.

I believe the very best way I care for my community and promote plant-based living outside of school is volunteering with UARC (Utah Animal Rights Coalition) at the VOA Homeless Youth Resource Center! I put my vegan caring into action by cooking and serving 50-60 kids experiencing homelessness nourishing tasty vegan meals. I’ve even been Lead Volunteer where I make a menu, shop for ingredients, and direct 6 other volunteers on how to cook the meal. This weekend will be extra fun because I asked a local vegan bakery if they’d donate a big birthday like sheet cake because I don’t think these kids get to celebrate birthdays much. So, City Cakes is donating a huge vanilla sheet cake with sprinkles! I will continue this community service work right up until I leave for culinary college in the fall. I have some good menus planned for next month. I’m doing Mac-n-Cheez, BBQ Beanie Weenies, corn, coleslaw
and rolls.

I’m part native American on my mom’s side and she got me into archery. I made it all the way to the National Championships and it’s funny because many folks in archery world are into hunting and here’s this tall vegan kid with long black hair nailing bullseyes. I was voted best camp counselor at my YMCA camp counselor job three times during the summer of 2022 and the kids are fascinated by my height. They always ask how they can be so big and strong, and I tell them, “Vegan food!” Speaking of the YMCA, I went many years to overnight camp and encouraged the kitchen to serve more vegan foods. To this day they have a tofu scramble breakfast burrito that is delicious.

The reason why I’m vegan is that I genuinely love animals especially pigs and it hurts me to have them suffer and be killed when they just don’t need to be. After culinary college I plan to study business at Westminster College. My plan is to work in the restaurant industry to put myself through 4-year university.

The deadline for the annual Vegetarian Resource Group scholarship is February 20 of each year. See other winners and details for entry at https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

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or mail donations to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.