Kissimmee Student in the Running for peta2 Award

18-Year-Old Never Passes Up an Opportunity to Speak Out for Animals

For Immediate Release:
December 6, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Kissimmee, Fla. -- The fight for animal rights is at an all-time high, and young people are leading the charge. A perfect example is 18-year-old José Rodriguez, a Valencia College student who's in the running for a Libby Award in the category of Street Teamer of the Year from peta2, PETA's youth division. Now in their seventh year, the 2012 Libby Awards ("Libby" for "liberation," as in animal liberation) include 22 categories.

"José is a role model when it comes to speaking out for animals, whether it's sharing PETA's undercover investigations with his friends or getting his school cafeteria to offer vegan options for the growing number of kids who refuse to support factory-farm and slaughterhouse atrocities," says PETA Youth Marketing Manager Emily Rodriguez. "All our teen nominees are winners because they're inspiring other young people to take a stand against animal abuse, wherever and whenever it occurs."

José runs the gamut when it comes to helping animals and raising awareness about their suffering. It starts with his diet—he has already made the health-, animal-, and Earth-friendly decision to go vegan. While still in high school, he succeeded in having vegan burgers added to the cafeteria's menu. The effort netted him a Star Street Teamer award from peta2. Also, José regularly posts video footage from PETA's animal-abuse investigations on his Facebook page, and he served on the peta2 Youth Advisory Board, helping the group with new campaigns and ideas.

Voting ends on December 17. Winners will be chosen by peta2 based on several factors, including vote count, and will be announced on December 19. See the full contest details here.

For more information and to cast your vote, please visit peta2.com or click here.