Meet the peta2 Staff: Pulin

Hometown: New Jersey

Favorite foods: Pizza, ice cream, ravioli—all vegan, of course—plus collard greens and corn on the cob

Fave bands: Rise Against, Penfold, The Assistant, Harvest, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Earth Crisis, Mr. Lif, Joemca, Dave Brubeck, Mos Def

First concert: I don't count the Milli Vanilli one my family forced me to go to. Otherwise, it was Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson at Madison Square Garden in NYC! And my first hardcore show was Shelter, Dog Eat Dog, Weston, H2O, and Vision of Disorder at Irving Plaza in NYC.

About me: I work as peta2's senior Street Team coordinator. I work with students on everything from starting a school animal rights group to adding vegan options in the cafeteria. I love corresponding with people all over the country to support their efforts to promote animal rights and other social justice issues. I spend my time reading books, listening to tons of bands that peta2 works with, and eating food. I like giving gifts that are of small financial value but mean something to someone.

I like: Playing soccer, football, and sports in general (this includes arm wrestling); thinking about making the world a nicer place in which to live; drinking smoothies; listening to music; communicating

I hate: Ignorance, apathy, commodities

Why you went veg: A combination of high cholesterol along with a realization of animal suffering and environmental destruction led me to choose vegetarianism. I became vegan in 1997 after learning that the dairy and egg industries are just as cruel as, if not more cruel than, the meat industry.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? One of the main things I wanted to be for several years was a neurosurgeon. I actually went so far as to take dissection classes on weekend mornings just for the experience. You know what I learned? Dissection is gross, and animals' dead bodies have no place in true learning about saving lives. Eventually, I grew more interested in nonprofit type of work with environmental issues, human rights, and animal rights, and that's where I'm at now.

Have you ever eaten a carton of vegan ice cream in one sitting? Of course I have.

What one word would you use to describe people who care about animals? Hot.

How about vegetarians? Hotter.

And vegans? Hottest.