My Interest in an Environmental Career Path

As the daughter of Colombian parents and a native to the Garden State of New Jersey, I always found joy and curiosity in the variety of flora and fauna I was exposed to. Playing outside amongst the colorful flowers my sisters and I watered, filling my lungs with fresh air from the beautiful Andes mountains, and feeling the livelihood that comes from truly loving nature set the foundation for the event that would change my life. One night during the summer of 2016, I was walking down Lincoln Road with my father. Out of a plethora of booths lined up along the sidewalk that seemed to be never-ending, one in particular caught my eye. The booth was adorned with images of leafy greens and farm animals. Standing in front of the booth were two vegan advocates, their enthusiasm and passion intrigued me. As I approached them, they greeted me with warm smiles and encouraged me to wear one of the virtual reality headsets they had placed on their table. The images that I would soon see would have a powerful effect on me.

Looking through the virtual reality goggles, I was put in the perspective of a piglet and was set to witness the course of its life until reaching the slaughterhouse. I’ve always considered myself a very emotional and empathetic person and consequently, that video shook me to my core. I vividly remember being horrified by the facts the video presented about the food industry in America and the mistreatment of animals. My stomach churned, I was so deeply disturbed by what I had seen. Tears trickled down my face uncontrollably. After watching the video, my father comforted me while the two vegan women shared their stories and gave me additional resources I could look into.

As a result of this event, I decided to go vegan cold turkey, no pun intended. I had never thought about where my food came from prior to this experience. This event sparked a thirst for knowledge in me and was a catalyst for change and self growth. I strove to become as informed as possible about the planet and how a plant based diet could have so many positive effects not only for my own body but for the planet as well. The correlations found between our demanding meat based diets and the deteriorating effects of global warming impacted me. Although I did not remain vegan I found that a plant based diet was optimal for me.

I credit this event to my developed interest in an environmental career path. I’ve always felt a connection to the world and to animals, most likely because my earliest memories with animals are some of my fondest. This event inspired me to better myself as a person and to try to get more involved with a variety of community service activities to help the environment, such as park clean-ups. I was inspired to create a project in which alongside my peers, we go to several local beaches to pick up trash as well as create posters for our school to help spread awareness. Even though it's a small effort, it’s a very rewarding feeling to do what we can to protect the ocean and the marine life within it. Through French National Honor Society I partake in weekly recycling events in which my peers and I work together to collect recyclable items from classrooms and dispose of them adequately. My love for the planet and the people within it has been prevailing, which encouraged my interest in the possibility of joining the Peace Corps after college.

I discovered life is all about learning to coexist with all forms of life around you and building a level of consciousness that will impact the lives around you. I hope to one day motivate others to do the same just as the vegan advocates did to me.