Ingrid Newkirk’s Naked Truth tour has taken her all over the world to talk about animal rights. But PETA’s president didn’t have to journey far recently for the tour’s final stop: George Washington University in Washington, D.C., which is just a few minutes’ drive from PETA’s Nanci Alexander Center for Animal Rights in Washington, D.C.

Newkirk was on campus to discuss how the animal rights movement must reach beyond pelts and “pets” to persuade people to see all animals as fellow citizens worthy of respect. As part of her presentation, she bestowed GW Animal Advocates—the campus animal rights group—with PETA’s Animal Defender Award. “They do tons of outreach events,” Newkirk said, “showing everyone how much good they can do for animals just by choosing a veggie burger over a cow burger.”

“Tons” is no exaggeration. The students collected 25,000 signatures on a petition to get the school’s animal dissection requirement replaced with a dissection-choice policy and recruited their fellow students to help save the deer at Washington’s Rock Creek Park. They’ve called for the election of animal-friendly student government candidates, published a guide to being vegan on campus, and raised $250 at a bake sale to sponsor a dog at the local humane society.

Congratulations, GW Animal Advocates! The future of the animal rights movement is in good hands.