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Freshman Michaela Moran recently received a Liebster Award for her “Vegan Life” blog in which she writes about her life as a vegan cross-country runner.  She began the blog earlier this fall as an assignment in her  English Composition course, taught by Associate Professor Michael Cripps, Ph.D.

The Liebster Award is an honor given to impressive, newer bloggers who have followings of fewer than 200 people, as a way to encourage their continued blogging.  Nominations come from former Liebster Award winners.

Moran, an applied exercise science major, has a following of vegans and vegetarians from all over the world.  She was nominated by another vegan blogger from New Zealand.

“Vegan Life” covers the basics of what a vegan is and the benefits of adopting a vegan diet.  Moran also delves into specific vegan recipes, and she promotes other healthful activities that complement veganism, such as drinking herbal teas and practicing yoga.

According to Moran, what she presumed to be a rather unconventional assignment turned out to be one of the most interesting projects that she has undertaken.  She remarked, “Thanks to Professor Cripps, my eyes have been opened to the world of blogging. I look forward to posting each week and trying to share with other people just how much I value my health through what I write. Knowing that other people read my blog makes me feel like I can inspire them in regards to their own health and well being.”

Cripps, too, is excited that Moran’s accomplishment stemmed from his class assignment.  He noted, “While many students treat the assignment as just a requirement, a small percentage of students take me at my word when I tell them they can be blogging for an audience much larger than their teacher and classmates.”

Since winning the award on November 28th, traffic on Moran’s blog has nearly doubled.