Alyssa has been on peta2’s Street Team for more than two years now, and she’s long overdue for some major pats on the back.
Name: Alyssa Mary Pilkons
Age: 17
Hometown: Vernon, Connecticut
What was the turning point when you decided to become vegan?
I never really liked meat, so going vegetarian was relatively easy for me. My best friend went vegan before me, so knowing that I had her support and encouragement made the decision even easier.
Part of my reason for going vegan was sort of silly. I read in a book once about a vegan that would always get asked, “So, what do you eat?” and he would answer “humans.” That made me laugh. Originally, I wanted to be a vegan so I could say that to people. I never do say that, but being a vegan has made me a healthier and happier person. I went vegan almost two years ago, and I’ve never looked back.
What’s your favorite PETA campaign? What have you done to speak out for animals in your area? The “Kentucky Fried Cruelty” campaign is my favorite. When I tell people how cruel KFC is, a lot of the time they tell me how disgusting they think the restaurant is, and that makes me happy. My first big animal rights experience was a protest against KFC. A friend of mine and I organized the protest and were the only ones who showed up. We thought it would be such a big deal. We e-mailed all the newspapers and TV stations because we were so excited. I dressed up as the colonel, and my friend attempted to dress up as a tortured chicken. None of the newspapers or TV people showed up, but my friend and I had a lot of fun protesting anyway.
Is your family supportive of your animal rights beliefs?
My parents pretty much buy me any vegan food I want to try, which makes things a lot easier for me. Also, I convinced my family to stop buying Iams products and eating at KFC. My mom always buys salads or Veggie Delights when she eats at Subway now.
Tell us about how you veganized your cafeteria.
All we vegans had for lunch options was, like, a fruit cup. With the help of my vegan friends, I got about 150 kids to sign a petition to get vegan options added to the cafeteria menu at my school. We brought the petition to our principal and talked to him for about 15 or 20 minutes. He seemed pretty supportive, but I wasn’t sure if that meant he would actually do anything. Then, the school menu for April came out, and every Monday there was a new vegan option on it! It was so amazing. My friends and I made posters to advertise the options, and the first day, the vegan option sold out! My friends and I went back to talk to the principal again to tell him the good news, and he said if the option kept selling out, they would start offering it more.
What is your personal message to the nearly 150,000 Street Team members of peta2?
I think everyone should have at least one important issue that they are concerned about, something that they really believe in. Mine is animal rights. If you agree that animals shouldn’t be slaughtered for food, then run with it. Learn about vegetarianism and take action; educate and have fun. Being an animal rights activist has given me confidence, and every morning when I wake up and eat my cereal with soy milk, I revel in the fact that just what I’m eating affects something … that I’m saving innocent animals’ lives.
Sign up for the Street Team now and tell us about what you’ve done to help animals in your community. You might just be our next Star!
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