Between freshman year of high school and fall semester of sophomore year of college, I have refrained from eating meat... For almost 6 years, I have not eaten any sort of animal flesh, and by using a yearly vegetarian calculator, I have calculated that I have saved roughly 1,212 animals, not eaten 1,170 pounds of meat, and cut my carbon emissions by 9,653 pounds.

To this day, as a junior in college, I still have not eaten a piece of meat. However, I'm proud to say that between last fall and this fall, I have taken my actions one step further: veganism.

I'm writing this article to talk about my journey over the years. These words are for anyone to read, but they are mostly for myself... I am extremely proud of how far I have come, and all the possibilities that my lifestyle change has opened up. Most importantly, the main thing I wanted to talk about is that going vegan was one of the greatest decisions I have ever made. Within mere weeks of stopping my consumption of all animal products, my skin cleared (no thanks to my classes right now), I shed a few pounds, bonded with fellow vegans, and honestly just felt a whole lot better.

In the past year alone, I have joined a community that accepts everyone, human and nonhuman, thinks about the realities of the world, and is just an overall compassionate bunch. Plus, I've cooked more that I ever have, joined an amazing club on campus, and have never felt more passionate about any other topic in the history of ever.

When writing this, I really just wanted people to know that after eating completely animal-free for one year, for me, it was a great decision. Every time I eat, it comforts me to know that I am eating a completely guilt-free plate and not contributing to the totally avoidable factory farming system. It also makes me happy to know that I am improving the environment and cutting my carbon emissions.

Overall, I can even say that I'm glad that I saw all of those horrible PETA ads when I was an impressionable freshman in high school, no matter how gruesome they were. I didn't know it at the time, but those pictures and videos are the reality of how we treat "food" animals in this world, and I'm just happy that I took them to heart. Likewise, I am even thankful to those people that said I wouldn't last being a vegetarian for more than a month, and asked me when my "phase" was going to be over. You all made me want to work that much harder and go that much further.

In conclusion, I am glad that I didn't, and still don't, let others change my beliefs about this issue. To this day, I still believe education on this topic is one of the most important things we can teach in this world, and as stated, I think it leads to a better life.

So thank you to my younger self, as I wouldn't be here today without your determination and passion. I might be biased in saying this, but you rock, and I'm definitely buying you some non-dairy Ben and Jerry's to celebrate this year... Here's to many more vegan years!