The Humans of RV project is a weekly column based on Brandon Stanton’s seminal “Humans of New York” project, which seeks to “catalog the city’s inhabitants” through photography and brief interviews. RV seeks to expand on this project with our own “cataloging” of RV students and an examination into all the unique perspectives here at school. 

Note: this transcript has been edited and condensed for publication purposes.

I am extremely happy to have received the COVID-19 vaccine. I know a lot of people are still on the waitlist, so I am grateful to have gotten it already. Last Easter, I wasn’t able to see my grandma or my sister Shelby because she was pregnant. My family didn’t want to risk getting anyone sick, so we made sure to distance ourselves from them. It didn’t feel like Easter last year without my whole family there, so when we got vaccinated, I was able to have a little bit of normalcy with my family during Easter this year. 

When I first heard about a new vaccine coming out, I was super excited. 

It was like a light at the end of a tunnel.

I wasn’t trying to get vaccinated when the vaccine first came out because I wanted the healthcare workers to be the first ones to obtain it. However, I was always interested and did my own research before I got my vaccine. 

To book my appointment, I actually followed a Twitter page to see where appointments were available. I was on a waitlist for about two weeks and then when I was eligible and met the requirements, I made an appointment. After I set up my appointment, I had to drive to Atlantic City for my vaccine. When I got there, I received a code and signed in with my name, date of birth, etc. They asked me a couple of questions and then told me I was getting the Pfizer vaccine. After my shot, they booked my second appointment. 

I didn’t really have any side effects besides the normal soreness the next day. Other than that, I felt completely fine. I am a little bit more nervous about my second shot because I heard there were more side effects. However, I’m thankful I received the Pfizer vaccine.

My college that I’m enrolling in next year, Rutgers New Brunswick, does require students to receive the vaccine for everyone living on campus with exceptions to people that have specific medical conditions or religious obligations. With that being said, I am super thankful to have been vaccinated pretty early on. 

To people nervous about the vaccine, I know it’s scary that we don’t know about the long term effects. However, I think it’s important that we all do our part because even if you aren’t at risk with COVID-19, there is most likely a family member, friends or neighbors that are.

I encourage people to do research before getting the vaccine. People may think that the vaccine came out too early, but it has been tested and experimented by scientists and it is a lot safer than you think. 

Overall, I’m excited for more things to open up. Our school just opened up to five days a week, which is super exciting. It’s fulfilling to see students and teachers once again. I’m also happy that my college next year will be vaccinated and with my fingers crossed, we will hopefully have a normal freshman year.