Animal Alliance

The story

Animal Alliance grew out of my vegan activism and care for the environment. I founded and led the club at Columbine High School, focused on supporting local ecosystems in the Foothills region of Colorado. Over nearly a year and a half of operation, I connected engaged students with local charities to collectively bring about change—knitting pouches for joeys orphaned in the 2019 Australian bushfires, building fencing for a rehabilitation centre housing wolves and wolf-dogs previously kept in captivity, and constructing a bird sanctuary in front of the school to nurture the local bird population.

Why it matters

Caring for animals is caring for the greater ecosystem—each project tied students directly to the natural beauty of Colorado and gave them a hands-on way to protect it. It was also my first experience of what became a career pattern: organising people around a cause, partnering with local organisations, and turning shared values into concrete projects.