I've always had a stong connection to animals, but it didn't occur to me to stop eating them until I was 20 or 21 years old. After being vegetarian for four years, I was inspired to become vegan after reading Diet for a New America (by John Robbins) and attending an animal rights conference in DC. I then became more and more involved with local (Seattle) and national AR groups. In the past 3 decades, I have moved a lot and had many career & relationship changes, but the one constant in my life has been my committment to veganism.