Hello, my name is Philippa Hechl, I will be graduating from The Wakefield School in The Plains, VA, in June of 2018. This will have been my tenth year at Wakefield. I plan on attending Savannah College of Art and Design next year and I am very excited! For my whole life I have always really loved animals. I have grown up with dogs, horses, guinea pigs, and a very special hamster. As a young little Virginia farm girl I always dreamed of being a veterinarian and dreamt that one day I would have my own clinic. I have since changed my thoughts on future career but my love for the animals has not. When I was handed my thesis assignment and had to come up with some topics, animals was all I could think of. With todays heavily social media influence I realized that a lot of celebrities nowadays are vegan, faux fur activists, and making products that are cruelty free. This seriously intrigued me and thus my thesis topic was chosen. I researched the animal cruelty on fur farms and in cosmetic laboratories. I learned that although many celebrities are advocating it, people are not realizing or just unaware of what is going on in this industry. I really enjoyed researching this topic and how I can personally help the cause through my actions and voice.