Vegan decathlete also acts, dances

Like most of her peers on the Moorpark High Academic Decathlon team, Ariana Rodgers, a junior, is an accomplished young woman who aspires to make a difference in the world.

Although studying for competition is demanding, Rodgers is glad she joined the team. “It turned out to be even better than I imagined,” she said, adding her teammates are amazing, witty and special people and she loves to spend time with them.

Rodgers plans to attend New York University to major in acting or literature. She has been acting for most of her life and was featured in several commercials and as a dance extra in two films, among other productions.

Her first paid acting job was on a commercial for Disney’s animated movie “Finding Nemo,” when she was cast with one of her older brothers.

At age 5, Rodgers appeared in the play, “Vacation to Nowhere.” “It was actually very serious subject matter. A mother had abandoned her child at a park, tried to take a plane to get away, and met a stranger at the airport who found the child,” she said.

Rodgers also loves to dance. She started ballet lessons at age 3 and has appeared in several productions of Channel Islands’ “Nutcracker.” “Ballet has taught me a lot about health, discipline, hard work and other people,” she said.

The other decathletes nicknamed Ariana “bunny” because she is doesn’t eat any meat products. “I’m a vegan because I really care about animals and I think that being a vegan causes the least possible amount of pain to animals, is very healthy, and good for the environment,” she said.

The special diet also changed Rodger’s life. “It’s given me a different perspective on the world around me and forced me to consider morality in all of my decisions, even though most choices in our lives are seemingly morally neutral,” she said. Adhering to the strict discipline also has given her much faith in herself.

Rodgers is the daughter of John and Nancy Rodgers. She has two brothers, Johnny, 20, and Anthony, 14, and a stepfather, Angel Luna.

“Ultimately, I want to be able to start a nonprofit company that employs workers in destitute areas of the world and pays them a living wage,” she said.

Rodgers also hopes to use a portion of the earnings from her company to set up schools and medical care systems in needy areas. “Hopefully, this would then establish a viable econo-my,” said Rodgers, adding the idea may seem farfetched, but she’s still willing to try.