There's a hidden beauty in veganism, only encountered by becoming a vegan. I've been vegan for two years and half now. This is how my journey started. Let's take a route back to my childhood. I was around six years old, and at the time I suffered from a strange stomachache that was caused by meat. So I stopped eating meat entirely until the age of twelve. I had a curiosity about trying meat again but found out that I had lost any interest in eating meat. Around the age of 15, in 2019, my family and I moved to the United States. I was excited to learn about their culture only to discover that they ate all the things I was never exposed to. As any person would do, I began to search for a new diet. A diet that was complementary somehow to my Burundian culture. My memories growing up consisted of eating plants in all sorts of ways, and I wanted to keep that. About a year passed before I stumped into the idea of being vegan. I was open to the idea of drawing out certain foods that society thought were essential. Keep in mind that I was turning sixteen then, so I thought I was trying veganism for only a month. After a month, I couldn't believe it. I have found the perfect replacement for my culture and a bonus to my well-being. Until now, I have told myself that nothing could outweigh my life experience over the past two years. It's not an all-well lifestyle, especially without any close support. Despite that, I have a privilege from my culture. I'm able to fuel myself with adequate proteins, such as beans. My family always has traditional refried beans on hand, so I eat them all most every day. At my high school- in ninth grade- I chose a core lesson that I would take for the following three years. My desired choices were engineering and culinary arts. I was assigned to culinary arts & I took it. It was a great choice because it allowed me to build a shield around my cultural experiences. It even gave me a new vision that I'm doing everything I can to make happen; Opening up a vegan/plant-based restaurant. My chef started working in the kitchen at the age of 15. He knows more about the culinary industry than any person I have ever met. He inspired me in a way to create a brand for all vegans worldwide and people who wish to join the veganism movement. I created a website from my old 2020 wix.com scratch. I completed every step that highlighted my goal to open up a vegan restaurant. And I named it Joy's Pride. I have gained enough knowledge to know that this goal won't be easy but it would be a life-changing experience for me and the rest of the world. I have hope. My experience and education will take further this chance of improving people's diets. The website I created was a major step into what I will be doing for the following years. The website name is: https://siriza.wixsite.com/joyspridevegan