By Parnia Mazhar
Staff Writer
Many Costa students are bogged down by academic and extracurricular obligations. Junior Mehanna Borostyan uses her passion for advocating animal rights as an outlet for common high school stress.
Borostyan is an animal rights activist who strongly believes that all animals deserve the same treatment as humans. Kristen Borostyan, Mehanna’s mother, observes that her daughter started voicing her opinions on animal rights at an early age.
On top of school and other activities, Borostyan continues to advocate for animal rights and plans to continue doing so for many years to come.
“I have been trying to get people at Costa to become more aware about the poor treatment of animals,” Borostyan said. “For instance, in Advanced Placement Biology, we are required to do pig dissection. I have been trying to get people to say no to this experiment. I encouraged my classmates to pick an activity that does not involve animal cruelty.”
Six years ago, Borostyan starting working with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. She first heard about the foundation when her fifth grade teacher, who had previously been associated with PETA, taught her about the poor treatment of animals.
“PETA got me more interested in the proper and humane treatment of animals. I now know that I want to be an environmental activist and advocate for animal rights for many years to come,” Borostyan said.
PETA’s main principle states that “animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.” The majority of Borostyan’s work for PETA is completed on the internet. Borostyan contacts government leaders, such as mayors and governors, regarding animal rights legislation for the organization.
“I really like what PETA stands for, so I will continue to be a part of the organization as long as it is around, even if I am only able to contribute small amounts,” Borostyan said. “I would actually like to continue doing this for the rest of my life.”
Borostyan plans to major in political science with a focus in environmental studies in college. She hopes to become more informed on how to properly treat the environment. Borostyan believes that this education will ultimately help both wild and domesticated animals when she applies it to the work she hopes to pursue as an adult.
“I strongly believe Mehanna’s work with PETA throughout her high school career will definitely lead her to an extremely successful career as an environmental lobbyist, her dream job for the future,” junior Daniel Wenger said.
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