Meet the peta2 Staff: Rachel

Hometown: I was born in Augusta, Georgia.

Fave bands: The Dixie Dregs. Sting. The Police. Fleetwood Mac. The Beatles. Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa. Winger. Collective Soul. Psychedelic Furs. Van Halen. Journey. Oingo Boingo. Bryan Adams. John Mayer. '80s. Modern English.

About me: I live in Los Angeles, but the rest of my family lives in Louisiana and Georgia. When I'm home for the holidays, I cook delicious vegan meals for my family! I love to play the piano and pick at the cello.

I love: My cat Simba! Los Angeles. New York City. Broadway shows. Flying. Tennis. Snow skiing. Chocolate. Thai iced tea. Animal rights T-shirts. Watching people trip over objects. Skinny Bitch. Thanking the Monkey. The Ten Trusts. The China Study. George Carlin. Robin Williams. Back to the Future. The Pink Panther series with Peter Sellers. Young Frankenstein. The Wizard of Oz. What Dreams May Come. King Kong. When Harry Met Sally. Caddyshack. Café Gratitude. Sage. Kind Kreme. Madeleine Bistro. Native Foods. Trader Joe's. Whole Foods. Carrot, beet, and apple juice. Strawberry smoothies.

I dislike: Soy milk (because I am allergic). People who don't speak their minds. Roller coasters. Olives. Overly spicy food. L.A. traffic. People who don't take care of their animal companions. Bad actors.

Why you went veg: I went vegan when I interned at a farm sanctuary called Animal Acres in 2009. I had stopped eating red meat when I was 12 after my father told me about a high school field trip to a slaughterhouse that his teacher took him and his classmates to. My father described it as very horrific and eye-opening, and soon after, he went vegetarian. This story really changed the way I looked at animals, and I immediately stopped eating cows and pigs. In 2008, during my second year of college, I watched a film called Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance. Part of the film took place in a hatchery where egg-laying hens are born. The scene showed chicks being tossed down chutes by workers and a device that was used to sear off their beaks. This film really affected me, and I decided to do some research to see what was happening with these chicks. As I was Googling, I stumbled upon PETA's website. From there, I watched many videos and read all about factory farming. After educating myself on this topic, I decided that I did not want to support such a cruel industry and dropped poultry, dairy, and eggs from my diet. The last of my meat-eating days ended when I stepped on the farm. I dropped seafood from my diet after discussing by-catch and how fishing is destroying the oceans. While interning at Animal Acres, I was introduced to and became great friends with the animals. My very best friend was a baby goat named Copper!

Favorite foods: Mac and cheese! Gardein chicken strips. Spaghetti. Salads! Strawberries. Mangos. Cheesy kale chips! YUM! Yellow Curry. Kugel. Matzah ball soup. Artichokes.

Do you enjoy running? Only if I'm being chased!

Some things you would like to accomplish: Bake a cake (it always seems to come out goopy in the middle). Get my pilot's license. Travel the world.