By Meredith Lyverse
College students are antsy to return to normal life. They miss in-person classes, on-campus events and freely hanging out with friends.
Bellarmine senior Trey Grevious got his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine March 31 on campus and said the experience was quick and easy.
“The line, you know, it was long, but it moved pretty quickly,” Grevious said. “It was super easy to sign up for the vaccine, too.”
Grevious said being able to get the vaccine on campus is important to students like him who live in a residence hall and do not have cars to drive to other vaccination locations.
“It was just easy to get it done on campus,” Grevious said. “It pushes students to go get it, too, because it’s like they have no excuse. It’s literally right there.”
Getting the vaccine was important to Grevious because he is moving to Nashville in the fall and wants to be able to start a safe, new life.
“Not having Covid being a barrier will probably allow me to make more connections and establish a firm friend group,” Grevious said.
Junior Sarah Mulcahy received her first Pfizer shot in February because of her job at an animal hospital.
She said getting the vaccine was important to her so her life can get back to normal.
“Being vaccinated, there’s more normalcy and less fear about being around my older family members,” Mulcahy said.
Mulcahy said she was excited to get the shot despite many people being skeptical of how quickly it was developed.
“I know a lot of people were questioning it and were like ‘Why are you getting it?’ and I was like ‘Well, I see this as an opportunity where in the long run it’s going to help me and the people around me,’” Mulcahy said.
Junior Spencer Brown was vaccinated at Frazier Hall when the university offered vaccines in March.
“Hopefully by next fall a good portion of the student body will be vaccinated and we’ll be able to proceed with classes as normal,” Brown said.
Brown said he was excited to get the vaccine once his parents and grandparents were fully vaccinated.
“I was like, ‘As soon as I find out I’m eligible, I’m signing up immediately to get this because this is very important,’” Brown said.
Brown said he’s looking forward to in-person classes and going to sporting events when the pandemic is over.
“I can’t wait to go to a live sporting event with a bunch of people where it’s crowded,” Brown said. “I miss the experience of going to a sporting event and hanging out with people you don’t even know.”
Junior Sarah Price was vaccinated at the end of March in Oldham County where she lives. She said it was hard to get the appointment but she was excited when she did.
“By the time I got it, I knew a bunch of people who had already gotten it, so I was excited to just get it out of the way,” Price said.
Price said she’s ready to stop being afraid of catching or spreading Covid to her mom, who works in health care.
“The big thing for me is not living in fear as much,” Price said. “Of course, I’ll still wear my mask when I’m in public, but I’m hopeful for a return to normalcy.”
Price said she wants to travel when most of the population is vaccinated and the pandemic is over.
“I’m not big into traveling, but it’s been so long since I’ve been on a trip of any sort, so I’d be excited to get away for a little bit,” Price said.