Former Laguna Niguel Student Wins National Award for Standing Up to Animal Dissection

For Immediate Release:
April 25, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

When high school officials insisted she dissect a rat and pig to graduate, local STEM student and aspiring nurse Sienna Roth refused to cut any animals open, used a paper model kit instead, and ultimately earned one of the highest test scores in her class. Now, Roth’s compassion and persistence have gotten the attention of state legislators, earning her a Hero to Animals Award from peta2, part of PETA’s youth division.

After confirming with PETA that it was her legal right to opt out of cruel dissections, Roth met with her principal and the superintendent to make sure no other student in the district would have to jump through the same hoops to avoid dissection. As Roth’s classmates shared with her, they were “disgusted” and “saddened” by cutting into dead animals and wished they, too, had been given a humane option.

Now a college freshman, Roth’s commitment to using only humane learning methods continues. During the school year, she shared her testimony with lawmakers—touching on the ethics and educational benefits of animal-friendly teaching methods—as she lobbied for the PETA-backed California CLASS (Compassionate Learning Advancements for Science Students) Act, which would modernize science education in the state by requiring teachers to present students with information about sourcing and chemicals used to preserve animals upon request and inform them of their right to choose a non-animal replacement.

“It is so important to make your needs known and advocate for yourself. I knew that dissection did not align with my morals, and I reached out to people and talked to my teacher and others in my school district, and I was able to make a change,” Roth says. “There are so many resources and organizations willing to help you; all you need to do is reach out. Build connections, and eventually, you’ll be able to be that voice for animals.”

“Sienna Roth’s determination to leave outdated dissections in the dust started in a high school science classroom and has now led her to the state Capitol, where she’s fighting for the rights of all students to leave animals in peace,” 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 Sienna’s lead and make a difference for animals.”

Students who use non-animal methods perform as well as, if not better than, peers who dissect animals, according to a systematic review published in The American Biology Teacher, a leading, peer-reviewed science-education journal. Non-animal methods—such as eMind digital dissection software and synthetic dissectible models like Kind Frog—also cut costs and reduce waste. Top academic programs, including the International Baccalaureate, the Next Generation Science Standards (which California adopted in 2013), and the College Board’s Advanced Placement program, don’t require—or even mention—animal dissection in their curricula.

peta2—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers young people positive, empowering actions to help animals. For more information, please visit peta2.com or follow peta2 on TikTok or Instagram.