This past September, I began my role as a VRG intern, which gave me many opportunities to engage with diverse kinds of information about veganism. Since I have been vegan for over 5 years, I already knew quite a bit about different aspects of veganism when starting my internship; however, this experience still provided me with new perspectives. Going into it, I wanted to improve my communication skills while also getting to learn more, and the things I did helped me with these goals.
One of the tasks I did was review other VRG interns’ data collection for nutrition information about different kinds of plant-based milk, while also compiling data myself for coconut milk. Through this, I was able to learn about how the diversity of options available for each type of plant-based milk varies greatly and about the overall nutritional differences between them. I also considered how various factors may impact a company’s decisions to label their products as “vegan” or indicate their plant-based nature in another way.
In addition, I contributed to the VRG’s restaurant guide and wrote blog postings. One of my articles was a review of a local Mexican food spot, in which I included my own thoughts on their dishes as well as what the rest of my family thought. Working on the restaurant guides showed me how the extent of variety in vegan food available across the U.S. is beyond what I had ever considered.
I value veganism for ethical reasons and for its environmental benefits, especially because I would like to pursue environmental science in the future, which is why I am grateful for the opportunity to be a VRG intern.
For more information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php
To support VRG internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate