L.A. Student Wins National peta2 Award for Championing Animal-Free Dissection
For Immediate Release:
May 4, 2026
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
Hero alert! PETA’s youth division, peta2, is honoring 17-year-old Marlborough School student Annalie Quigley with a Hero to Animals Award for empowering her classmates to opt out of dissection—and introducing them to a cutting-edge, animal-free replacement. After choosing not to dissect animals in biology class, Annalie turned her honors project into a campaign for change, encouraging peers to join her in choosing the Kind Frog™, a silicone-based dissection model developed by TeachKind Science, PETA’s humane education division.
A vegetarian and passionate animal advocate, Annalie opted out of dissecting animals in her freshman biology class and discovered there was no animal-free dissection option available. That experience inspired the question that shaped her senior honors biology project: “How can I make this experience a more inclusive one?” Her project examined the harmful message dissection sends—that living, feeling beings are disposable—and explored whether there’s a better way to teach the same lessons. At Annalie’s request, PETA donated 60 Kind Frogs for her to test with her classmates, who agreed that the Kind Frog was a good replacement. Thanks to her efforts, the Kind Frog could soon become a regular part of Marlborough’s science program.
“I believe that we should take every opportunity to end the unnecessary suffering of animals,” says Annalie. “Eventually, the goal is to achieve at the high school level what is largely underway at the college level: the replacement of animal dissections with more humane alternatives.”
Outside the classroom, Annalie stays busy with dance, karate, and other activities and loves hanging out with her friends, family, and companion animals—including her 110-pound rescued tortoise, Harvey. She plans to study education and law in college, combining her love of teaching with an interest in using the law to create positive change for humans and other animals.
“Annalie’s determination to leave outdated dissections in the dust is a reminder that we all have the power to be heroes to animals,” says peta2 Vice President Rachelle Owen. “peta2 salutes her for setting a shining example of compassion and stands ready to support students across the U.S. who want to follow Annalie’s lead and make a difference for animals.”
Young people inspired by Annalie’s work are invited to contact [email protected] for support in making an impact for animals in their own communities. They can also earn rewards from peta2—including t-shirts, stickers, and cookbooks—when they take action for animals.
peta2—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, a frog is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit peta2.com or follow peta2 on TikTok or Instagram.
