Austin Community College District (ACC) supported the community-wide COVID-19 vaccination event at Circuit of the Americas March 5 - 7.

ACC Nursing students and faculty were selected to help administer vaccines. Additional college faculty and staff volunteered as well to provide logistical support for the event.

"I became involved because every vaccine given is one less person or family that will be devastated by COVID-19," says Laurie Dillon, DNP, RN, ACC Nursing professor. "The COTA vaccination event was awe-inspiring, everyone was so appreciative of our participation in this effort. Our students gained an increased sense of self and community as a result of their active participation. We received so many smiles and thank yous for being there. Many of the people we vaccinated were seniors who had not been out of their homes for a year. They told us we helped give them hope for the future with every vaccine. The only hard part was seeing the friends I work with, that I have not seen in a year. We had to settle for a wave, instead of a hug. I can hardly wait for us to all be together again on campus at ACC."

The mass vaccination clinic at COTA was the latest in a series of vaccination drives involving ACC Nursing students. Students have been actively involved in COVID-19 vaccine distributions throughout the city. Hear more from the students in the video below.