Researching for Capstone and Becoming an Animal Rights Advocate

Heather Mancino, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in English Literature (7-12) 

One of the biggest achievements during my college career was completing my capstone project. When I first heard about this project during my freshman year, I instantly became stressed. I thought to myself “what kind of project needs 4 years' notice?” But as Cheryl and Cynthia warned, time flew by and before I knew it, it was time to start preparing.

At first, I didn’t know which direction I wanted to go in with my project. I didn’t feel like I had any passions or interests that I could research further and write about in twelve pages. Then one day I came across a video on social media that scared me enough to start taking some action.

The stop motion video was titled “Save Ralph”, which featured a bunny detailing what happens during animal experiments and what it has done to his body. Although animated, the video was heart-rendering; it hit me where it hurt. To this day I cannot say that I ever finished watching it. However, the few seconds that I did see was enough for me to change my life and become an advocate for animal rights.

This was the push I needed to really begin my capstone. I decided to tie in my English major to pose the question of whether or not literature could be used to raise awareness towards animal cruelty, including fiction. After all, my awareness was raised through a video, not a book.

I wondered why I never read stories or articles about animal abuse but there was always a plethora of texts on other social justice topics. I did a little more research and found that there are tons of texts that can be used to raise awareness about all different types of animal abuse, ranging from what happens in the meat-packing industry, to animal testing, to animal captivity. These texts are out there, but we as a society need to shine the light on them that they deserve. These texts matter in our society even if they are fiction.

As I worked on finding research for my capstone, I became a long-term volunteer at AMA, Animal Rescue in Brooklyn. I have been surrounded by other animal lovers daily who remind me that I am not alone in my advocacy. From my freshman year to now, I believe that I have truly found myself and my passions, and the capstone has given me the perfect outlet to share what I know and what I’ve learned.