‘Sexiest Vegan Next Door’ Contest 2019 Finalists

Amanda
Sarasota, Florida

Amanda is an Army sergeant in the signal corps stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas, and is currently deployed in Iraq. She went vegan seven years ago because of her love of animals and to improve her health. When she gets deployed, she advocates for more vegan options (such as veggie burgers and soy milk) in cafeterias. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering at animal shelters in order to help as many animals as possible find loving homes and sharing delicious vegan recipes and fitness tips online.

Andrea
Phoenix

Andrea grew up on a ranch, where she befriended many animals who were then slaughtered for food. One of her first memories is of her family members killing a cow right in front of her. She vowed that she would never again keep quiet about animal suffering. Now, this animal rights powerhouse is taking the world by storm—working full-time to organize and participate in vigils, open rescues, and marches and demonstrations, such as for PETA’s World Day for the End of Fishing.

Chancellor Rose
Salt Lake City

Chancellor Rose works in an emergency veterinary clinic and is also a trans model who went vegan nearly seven years ago for ethical reasons. He was inspired to do so by a philosophy course that covered Peter Singer as well as because of his Jewish heritage. As a grandson of a Holocaust survivor, he says, “I feel deeply connected to animals who face the same types of horrific treatment endured by my ancestors.” When he’s not advocating in behalf of abused animals, he spends time exercising and exploring the outdoors with his two (vegan) dogs.

Daniela
Fort Myers, Florida

Daniela went vegan two years ago and credits the switch with giving her increased energy, which comes in handy when she’s doing her job as a boots-on-the-ground emergency animal responder in the wake of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, and the flooding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She even helped secure a home for an abandoned and starving dog who was swept up in Hurricane Harvey‘s floodwaters. She grew up participating in the 4-H program, but now she’s dedicating her life to helping animals: She speaks up at vegan festivals all over Florida and leaves copies of PETA’s Vegan Starter Kit in her company’s communal kitchen.

Danielle
Philadelphia

Danielle is a cardiology fellow and American Board of Internal Medicine–certified physician who started the first vegan cardiology clinic in the Philadelphia area. She advocates for animal-free nutrition and has helped more than 100 patients go vegan over the last year, which she says has helped them reverse chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. She shares her passion for evidence-driven vegan nutrition on her Instagram page and her iTunes podcast, Nutrition Rounds.

Guiseppe
Coopersburg, Pennsylvania

As a senior airman in the Air Force Reserve, a nationally qualified bodybuilder, and a medical device salesperson, Guiseppe uses plant foods to fuel his life. Since going vegan, he feels more energetic and is much happier with his body. He takes every available opportunity to talk to others about the health benefits of going vegan—whether in his role as a physical training monitor to help his airmen fellow pass the Air Force’s fitness test or showing hospital staff how delicious vegan treats are by distributing them at the medical centers that he visits. In his downtime, he enjoys hanging out with his best vegan friends: his sister, nephews, and niece.

Jasmine
Chesterfield, Virginia

Jasmine is a licensed vocational nurse who runs a vegan wellness blog. She loves testing out delicious vegan recipes with her vegan wife and daughter, and she volunteers at local animal shelters in order to reunite animals with their families. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she recognizes the power structures and inequality that threaten the freedoms of humans and other animals, and she went vegan overnight after watching PETA’s documentary “Meet Your Meat.” Now she advocates for mindful, minimalist living on her Instagram page and blog in order to benefit human health, animals, and the environment.

Kenny
Bowie, Maryland

As someone who has been vegan for 10 years (and was raised vegetarian) and is a librarian at a Washington D.C. high school, Kenny believes it’s important for people to be aware of the major impact that animal agriculture has on the planet and human health, which is why he’s ordered countless books on being vegan for his students—many of whom live in food deserts. When he’s not turning pages, he’s working on his certification to become a vegan personal trainer, hitting the gym to practice Brazilian jiu-jitsu, speaking up for animals, or focusing on other social justice issues.

Kesha
McDonough, Georgia

Kesha is a fitness mentor and Air Force veteran. She volunteers full-time in her community to help others—including animals. She helps PETA check on animals living in poor conditions or abusive situations, helps an animal-rescue transport organization that reunites animals with their guardians after natural disasters, and once jumped into a pond to help save a dying, injured duck before safely transporting him to a wildlife center.

Kevin
Yonkers, New York

Kevin is a firefighter of eight years who went vegan to benefit his athletic performance as a five-time Ironman, eight-time half-Ironman, and five-time marathon finisher. He reports that since then, his skin has improved, he has more energy, he recovers faster from workouts, and he’s reduced his Ironman time by over an hour. He credits his vegan lifestyle with helping to improve his mental health since his brother’s death on 9/11, and he aims to give back to others by promoting healthy vegan eating—both online and to his fellow firefighters.

Kyvan
Fanwood, New Jersey

Kyvan is a professional architect for the city of New York who went vegan in 2007 after watching PETA videos online showing how animals used for food are abused. As one of the “Vietnamese boat people,” he relates strongly to the experience of animals. He was jailed at the age of 6 for trying to escape his country, and in jail, he witnessed prisoners being tortured and locked inside a metal box outdoors without access to food, water, or daylight. Because of this experience, he views all life as precious and extends his compassion to all living beings.

Maor
Los Angeles

Maor is a model and fashion designer who went vegan a year ago in order to improve his health after a serious case of gout that rendered him unable to walk for over half a year. He stopped eating all animal-derived foods after watching What the Health and thanks vegan meals for his newfound health, which is why he encourages his more than 300,000 online followers to #GoVegan. When he’s not coming up with new, 100% animal-free clothing designs, Maor spends time with his two canine companions, Doobie and Chaki.

Mike
Gambrills, Maryland

Mike is a Marine veteran and a security consultant for professional sports teams who went vegan after taking an ethics class in college. He’s found that being vegan has helped him alleviate stomach issues and says that his post-workout recovery time has drastically decreased. Growing up near Annapolis with a passion for sailing, he’s always felt strongly connected to sea life, which is why he’s very much against the fishing industry. In his free time, he might be found at the gym training for bodybuilding competitions (and informing other gymgoers about the benefits of being vegan) or providing other veterans coping with post-traumatic stress disorder with support.

Nour
Troy, Michigan

Nour was runner-up Miss Lebanon in 2015 and is a former news anchor who went vegan after studying nutrition and physical education at Notre Dame University–Louaize in Lebanon. During her studies, she discovered that humans can thrive without eating animals. She uses social media to promote being vegan and the workout routines she offers in English, Arabic, and French. She says that being vegan has improved her health: Her Hashimoto’s disease and acne have been alleviated, and she’s got more energy. She loves to make vegan versions of traditionally meat-heavy Lebanese dishes (such as kibbeh) and share them with her husband, who went vegan with her help.

Peter
Clermont, Florida

Peter promotes vegan eating and fitness as a means to help people attain spiritual and personal fulfillment. After watching Earthlings, he realized that he could no longer contribute to the immense suffering caused by industries that use animals, so he went vegan. He never turns down an opportunity to speak up for or assist animals, which is why he always stops to help turtles when they’re crossing the road and discourages people from hunting local wildlife.

Reichen
Playa del Rey, California

Reichen is a lawyer, a businessperson, a past reality show winner, and an Air Force veteran who went meat-free after reading Diet for a New America. One of the most impactful moments in his life was attending a pig vigil in Los Angeles, where he gave water to dehydrated pigs en route to slaughter. These animals had likely never received any kindness in their lives until then—and afterward, they were violently killed. When he’s not speaking up for animals online or raising money for PETA’s Legal Defense Fund, he can be found working out at the gym, helping out LGBTQ+ and veteran organizations, or snuggling at home with his two rescued dogs.

Sherelle
Riverside, California

Sherelle is a content creator, a freelance fashion stylist, and an employment specialist who believes that people can be stylish without hurting animals. She went vegan after her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer, which is when she realized that the food we eat drastically affects our health. She uses social media to share tips on choosing vegan and cruelty-free brands, and she continues to celebrate her Cuban and Jamaican cultures by making animal-free versions of her family’s favorite foods.

Tabatha
Alpharetta, Georgia

Tabatha (otherwise known as “The Sensible Vegan” online) is a marketing director, writer, blogger, and holistic nutritionist who went vegan to help alleviate debilitating digestive issues and to prevent animal suffering after watching Vegucated. Being a mother has driven her to advocate against dairy farms, which rip babies away from their mothers so that their milk can be sold for human consumption, and she’ll soon be releasing a children’s book about a dairy farm that goes vegan. In addition to offering personalized vegan nutrition coaching online, she runs a vegan snack box company with the help of her daughter and husband.

Thomas
Dix Hills, New York

Thomas is a police officer who went vegan for the benefit of his health, animals, and the environment. His entire family has suffered from high cholesterol for years, and he was told to go on cholesterol-controlling medication at the age of 18. Now that he’s vegan, his cholesterol has dropped, he’s lost weight, and he gets even more protein than he did before the switch. He regularly shares his food with fellow officers, who are always shocked by how good it tastes. In addition, he comes to the rescue of dogs who wander into the busy New York subways, and he helps promote his sister’s vegan bakery online and at vegan festivals.

Zuhal
Jersey City, New Jersey

Zuhal went vegan after watching Earthlings and realizing that there was no difference between the homeless cats and dogs she used to take care of on the streets of Turkey and the animals who are used for food. As a freelance journalist, a model, a PETA vegan mentor, and an online influencer, she uses her platforms to advocate for animal rights and vegan living. When she’s not practicing karate or Pilates or whipping up a mean Turkish kebab with Beyond Meat, she’s showering her vegan son and two adopted (and spayed, of course) dogs with love.