How Students Can Advocate for Better School Meals

For Vienna Dschung, school meals are more than just fuel for studying. They represent an important opportunity for schools to foster a more sustainable, healthy, and inclusive environment for students.    

A recent graduate of Weston High School, just 15 minutes west of Boston, Massachusetts, Vienna spent her high school career advocating for more plant-based options on her school’s menu. What started out as an interest in promoting environmental sustainability quickly grew into full-on activism. Vienna’s dedication and experience lobbying for better school meals as part of the Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition ultimately earned her a spot in a like-minded cohort of student leaders as part of a national fellowship. 

Campaigning for Sustainable Meals as a National Fellow

Vienna was one of 14 passionate students from across the country selected to take part in the Plant Powered Youth Fellowship during the 2025-2026 school year. 

Founded in 2022, the fellowship is a program of the Plant Powered School Meals Coalition, led by Chilis on Wheels and Friends of the Earth. The fellowship provides an opportunity for students like Vienna to advocate for plant-based options in K-12 schools through “movement building, policy advocacy, and leadership development.” Each fellow also has the opportunity to engage in national advocacy in Washington, D.C. and make an impact in their own cafeteria by leading a year-long campaign to increase plant-based meals.

The Chef Ann Foundation is a proud member of the Plant Powered School Meals Coalition, and our staff supports the fellowship by mentoring student participants. This means our senior director of policy and advocacy, MJ Kepner, had the chance to team up with Vienna as she planned and led her campaign.

Lessons Learned as a School Food Advocate 

What first inspired you to advocate for plant-based school food? What initial steps did you take?

Vienna Dschung: It all began in my sophomore year when a friend and I pitched plant-based items as a way to increase our school’s environmental sustainability and reduce our carbon footprint. We started by meeting with our district’s food service director, nonprofit leaders from the National Farm to School Network, and food service directors from other districts who had already successfully implemented plant-based menus. 

Advocacy includes many pathways. What strategies did you choose to pursue?

Vienna Dschung: I reached out to my school’s food service director on the first day of school during my junior year. I wanted to advocate for more taste tests and Meatless Mondays, and to suggest possible plant-based menu items. I also chose to join the 2025 cohort of the Plant-Based School Meals Coalition, where I better equipped myself with the advocacy tools needed to further my campaign.

We often talk about the “long game” with advocacy, as it is rarely easy and can take time. What were some of the challenges you faced?

Vienna Dschung: It took many attempts to get in touch with my food service director. Even after connecting, I had to come to terms with the fact that my approach was simply not working. With the heavy workload of feeding hundreds of students every day, the taste-tests-to-main-menu pipeline I was hoping to create posed a daunting task for my school’s cafeteria. After being rejected several times, it felt overwhelming to imagine how to proceed. I had to take a step back and reevaluate the direction of the campaign. 

We love that mentality – rejection is redirection! What were some of the results after your campaign redirection? 

Vienna Dschung: I found so much reassurance from the administrators in my school. I was surprised that there were so many people rooting for the student campaign, and who were actually taking the initiative to help me form the council. The pivot not only created a different avenue for the campaign to pursue, but also improved my relationship with the school food staff. 
 

What advice would you give to students embarking on their own campaigns?

Vienna Dschung: Don’t do this alone! Juggling a campaign alongside schoolwork and college applications is exhausting. Reach out to your mentors, friends, and community for help, and make sure to pass the torch to the younger students so the campaign can continue after you graduate.

The 2026-2027 Plant Powered Youth Fellowship is underway, and you can follow the fellows' work on their Instagram. This school year, our senior coordinator of policy and advocacy, Kathleen Mueller, is serving as a mentor for Lilliana Haverals from Iowa City High School, our third mentee since 2022. 

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