Chevy Chase–Area Teen May Be the ‘Coolest Vegan Alive’

peta2’s Contest Seeks Two Special Young Animal Advocates for Trophies, National Spotlight

For Immediate Release:
July 22, 2015

Contact:
Catie Cryar 202-483-7382

The first-ever Coolest Vegan Alive contest is underway—courtesy of peta2, PETA’s youth division—and 19-year-old Chevy Chase resident Lutfiyah Madyun could take home top honors. The college freshman beat out entrants from across the country to be named one of 12 finalists, and voters will now help peta2 decide which two finalists it should select for the top prize—which includes a personalized Web feature, a prize pack containing cruelty-free goodies, and a Coolest Vegan Alive trophy.

Lutfiyah dropped meat from her diet when she was just 14 and went vegan two years ago for a New Year’s resolution. Since then, she’s done all she can to share delicious, healthy cruelty-free dishes with others—including her family, whom she treats to two home-cooked vegan dinners a week. Her example has inspired three of her siblings and several friends to drop meat, dairy foods, and eggs. Lutfiyah hopes to open her own vegan restaurant—a dream she’s beginning to realize after a recent internship at a local restaurant, where she was able to help create tasty vegan options, like mapo tofu burgers, with the head chef.

“Whether she’s serving up tasty vegan dishes for her lucky family or working with an entire restaurant to add vegan dishes to the menu, Lutfiyah is making waves for animals in her community,” says PETA Director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns Marta Holmberg. “By going vegan and encouraging others to make kind choices, Lutfiyah and peta2’s other entrants are already winners.”

Voting to help peta2 determine whom it should choose as the winners ends on July 28, and the winners will be featured on the website on August 4. peta2—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—will consider three factors when selecting the winners: contestants’ actions for animals, their enthusiasm, and their total number of votes.

For more information and for a link to full contest details, please visit peta2.com/CoolestVegan.