Diana Nguyen
Diana Nguyen (right) is a Junior studying Business Administration, with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She is also the founder of Spiders Caring for Animal Rights Everywhere (Spiders CARE), a student organization focused on promoting plant-based diets and animal rights advocacy.
What sparked your interest in a plant-based diet and animal rights advocacy?
I actually started eating more plant-based for health reasons. I’ve always struggled with my weight and restrictive eating so I decided to go plant-based. It made me feel amazing physically and mentally. A lot of the guilt I used to have when eating was gone and I enjoyed food more than I ever did before. After some time, my reasoning for being vegan changed as I became more educated about the cruelty in the animal agriculture industry and the impacts it has on our environment. I felt so shocked when I realized how intelligent cows, pigs and chickens are, and how abhorrently we treat them. My world turned upside down. This was all shortly after the end of my freshman year.
How did Spiders CARE start? What is the group working on now and how would you like to see it develop in the future?
I started Spiders CARE my sophomore year with the support of a lot of great friends, after being accepted into the peta2 campus representative position. As a campus rep, you run a student group in college and must host 16 events per year promoting animal rights in some way. A lot of the events we did during our first year were PETA-sponsored in that they sent us leaflets, banners, as well as food or merchandise to giveaway.
This year (our second year), we’re no longer PETA-sponsored as there were a lot of issues and criticisms from students regarding our PETA-relationship so we thought it was best to be independent. Some of our events this semester included virtual reality on the forum where students can see the life of a pig from birth until death, yoga at the gazebo with vegan snacks, as well as a sustainable vegan Thanksgiving lunch with GreenUR.
Our specific mission is to improve the plant-based options on campus, because we feel they are so limited. We want students and staff at the University to see the value in expanding vegan food options and we want to communicate how many students really are vegan, vegetarian, or simply interested in eating fewer animal products.
How would you like to see Spiders CARE develop in the future?
I hope to see Spiders CARE grow into a much larger group as more students embrace veganism and animal rights. We would love to have a vegan station at d-hall and even ban the use of animals for entertainment on campus. Every semester at least one student group rents out a petting zoo, but we would like them to understand how traumatic that experience can be for the animals involved, who often spend the majority of their lives being transported from one place to another. We’re also hoping to get geese crossing signs by the lake.
Does your interest in sustainable food cross over into your academic life at all?
I've pretty much jumped on any opportunity I have to educate my peers regarding veganism and sustainable food. For my film final last year, I made a 5 minute short-documentary on the reasons we should go vegan to protect the planet that was very well received by my classmates and professor. I've also taken two gender study classes that involved discussions about environmental ethics, which gave me the chance to talk about sustainable food. These classes connected me with a lot of other students interested in social justice and animal rights.
What's your favorite vegan or vegetarian dish on campus? Do you have a favorite restaurant that offers vegan or vegetarian options off campus in Richmond?
I actually struggle to eat vegan on campus without eating the same thing over and over, but there’s one thing that I can never get sick of- ordering from the sizzling salad line. My go-to is extra seitan crisped to perfection, topped with lemon vinaigrette. You can order the same on pasta nights, except with marinara sauce and penne, topped with breadcrumbs and sun-dried tomato. I have to get pretty creative in d-hall so that eating isn't boring, but it isn't impossible to be vegan!
Two local favorites of mine are Sticky Rice and Chinese Chef. The first offers really unique and delicious vegan sushi options, with ingredients like tempura sweet potato or vegan cream cheese. They also have fried rice, noodles, and even sushi burritos! Chinese Chef is my go-to for nights that I want to stay in my dorm and have greasy Chinese food. My favorite is the general tso and sesame tofu but there are a lot of vegan options on their menu and they deliver to campus.
How do you feel your interest in food and animal rights has impacted you?
In terms of health, I’ve never felt better. I go to the gym and weight-lift nearly every day and have made impressive gains over the past year—all on a plant-based diet. A lot of fitness-oriented people are concerned about losing muscle or not being able to get protein being vegan, but I’ve gained so much strength and muscle this past year and hardly ever fret about getting enough protein.
My interest in animal rights also led me to intern with PETA last summer in their Norfolk headquarters. It was a really great experience to work with people who shared the same values as me. I got to participate in a typical PETA-style campaigns in Washington D.C and handed out free vegan hot dogs on Capitol Hill. We even got to sit in on daily morning meetings with the PETA president Ingrid Newkirk.
What advice would you give to people who are considering a vegan or vegetarian diet, but who may be intimidated by the transition?
Get educated and take small steps. Start by watching these films: What The Health, Cowspiracy, and Okja. Understanding the profound benefits of a plant-based diet for you, animals, and the environment provides an educational and ethical foundation that makes the transition much easier.
It's also important to take small steps, you don’t have to go cold turkey. I definitely didn’t cut out meat all at once. I slowly weened off red meat, then went pescatarian for four months before going vegetarian at the start of my freshmen year, then I finally went vegan at the end of that year. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all. Also, remember that there are vegan substitutes for everything you love: mac-n-cheese, pizza, ice-cream, buffalo wings, hot pockets, and more. I feel that you don’t give up anything going vegan, but gain so much for your mental and physical health.
Outside of the realm of food, are there other areas of sustainability that interest you?
I try my best to limit my consumption of plastic. Whenever I buy groceries, I always bring two reusable bags with me. Even at ETC, I never take a plastic bag because I find it unnecessary.
Thank you, Diana, for all the work you do for our campus community! Do you know someone who should be featured as a Sustainability Champion? Let us know at sustainabilty@richmond.edu.