José Ettiene Ortiz Medina, known to everyone at PETA2 simply as Ettiene, is a superstar activist for animals. In his hometown of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Ettiene never misses an opportunity to encourage friends and family to be compassionate.

Name: José Ettiene Ortiz Medina
Age: 16
Hometown: Ponce, Puerto Rico

Do you have animal companions? If so, were they rescued, adopted from a shelter, etc.?

We have two dogs: One’s name is Shaggy—he was rescued off the street. He was starving when we rescued him. The other one doesn’t have a name yet because he just recently came to our house.

What made you become a vegetarian/vegan?

For a long time, before learning about PETA, I felt guilty eating meat. One day I saw an ad in a magazine, with some chicks and a caption that said, "We are not nuggets." The ad made me curious to check out the Web site, and I found out about the abuses committed against animals raised for food. At that moment, I decided that I no longer wanted to be part of that abuse. I am proud that at my age, I have made a change that will affect the rest of my life.

What are your favorite vegan foods?

Veggie burgers! And vegetarian lasagna.

What is your favorite PETA2 band, and why?

Good Charlotte is one of my favorite bands, and I liked them a lot more once I saw that they agreed to take part in a PETA campaign. I love how they take advantage of every chance they get to spread the word about animals and why we should not eat meat.

Tell us about your favorite PETA campaign.

My favorite campaign up to now has been the one against KFC. I love to inform other people about how terribly KFC treats its chickens. I have distributed leaflets on several occasions about KFC’s terrible treatment of its chickens, and on one occasion I organized a protest. I feel very proud of myself because I know I have done a lot for this campaign. Every chance I get, I send a letter to KFC officials, asking them to improve their chickens’ living conditions, and a short time ago, I found out that KFC and PETA are negotiating for the animals’ well-being. I hope that this will be the end of this cruelty and that the two years that PETA has been protesting and fighting will achieve the goal of a better future for these birds.

What is your favorite PETA pamphlet and what is your favorite way to use it?

I love "Question Authority." I think it is the best pamphlet for explaining why we should not eat meat. Since I always carry a few with me to pass out, I have used them at school, and I’ve distributed them to my family and anyone I happen to meet who is not aware of the cruelty behind meat.

What is your personal message to the more than 60,000 Street Team members of PETA2?

Even though it sometimes seems that our actions are fruitless, there are always people who realize how badly the world treats animals. I haven’t been a PETA activist for very long, but for as long as I’ve been involved I’ve tried to do the best I can. I’m always sending PETA postcards, always sending out e-mail messages to my friends with information on animal abuse, sending letters to big companies, protesting, and educating others. Never give up, because just by forwarding a PETA newsletter, you are getting other people interested and helping them learn about animal abuse. If you are determined to create change, there will be change! We have to fight for what we believe in because we can make the changes that will change the course of the world.


Join the PETA2 Street Team and you might just be our next star.