Meet the peta2 Staff: Cassandra

Hometown: Miami and Chicago (South Side, thank you)

Fave bands: 2 Live Crew, Against Me, Atari Teenage Riot, Big Pun, Blackalicious, Black Star, Björk, Brian Eno, Chromeo, Clinic, Common, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Devo, Edith Piaf, Girl Talk, Go Team, The Gossip, Hot Chip, Ice T, Iggy Pop, Immortal Technique, J Dilla, Jackson 5, Johnny Cash, Joy Division, Juanes, Justin Timberlake, KanYe West, KRS-One, Le Tigre, Living Legends, Ludacris, MC Lyte, M.I.A., Nas, New Edition, OutKast, Peaches, P.O.S., Public Enemy, Sage Francis, The Smiths, Thunderbirds Are Now, Tu Pac, Ween, Weezer, Wu Tang, You Say Party We Say Die, Young Buck

About me: If variety is the spice of life, I will make you cry and beg for a drink. I come from a mixed cultural background; have lived in both big cities and rural towns; and enjoy all kinds of music, all kinds of people, and all kinds of food (so long as the corpses and reproductive functions of fellow animals aren't in it). I like to be where the action is: live shows, dance floors, parades, carnivals, cultural events, sporting events, protests, poetry slams, freestyle and dance battles, and bookstores. (Don't think there's action in bookstores? Think again, my friends.) I work hard, play rough, fight fair, eat big, and live loud.

I like: Sincerity, empathy, courage, conviction, outspokenness, learning opportunities, live music, karaoke, dancing, sci-fi, CKY, severe weather, falling asleep in random places like the bathtub or back yard, roller coasters, road trips, foreign travel, public transport, meeting new people, kicking ass, taking names.

I hate: Jerks, phonies, bullies, cowards, psychos, liars, and people who don't think for themselves. Ugh!

Why you went veg: Mr. Rothman—my fourth-grade teacher—showed us a PETA video on vivisection. For the next two years I thought a lot about how those animals suffered. Then I started thinking about the animals whose bodies were in the food I ate. It really bothered me until I realized that I didn't HAVE to eat them; there were lots of other things I could eat! My parents weren't very happy about it at first and tried to get me to change my mind, but in time they understood, and now (finally) they're veg too!

Do you speak any foreign languages? Si. We grew up speaking English and Spanish at home. The great thing about Spanish (aside from having something in common with 350 million other people) is that it's so similar to Italian and Portuguese that I can get by OK in those languages too.

Do you have a personal motto? Yep: No hassle. All hustle.