vaccine hunter
AES student helps her community get vaccinated BY DREW MOSER
What started as Trisha Schuver trying to help her 73-year-old mother find a COVID-19 vaccine appointment turned into an internship to get as many people vaccinated as possible.
develop the survey and distribute it. Kathy Kern, the faculty member who coordinates AES internships, said none of this would have been possible without Dean Ploutz-Snyder’s support and enthusiasm.
Schuver is an Applied Exercise Science senior and the organizer of the School of Kinesiology Vaccine Initiative, an effort to assist the community with getting COVID-19 vaccine appointments. The process for the initiative is simple: an individual completes a survey to request help with finding and scheduling the vaccine. Schuver then takes the information and finds an administering location, whether it be a pharmacy or supermarket, within the selected time radius of the individual’s address.
Movement Science senior Eden Buell immediately reached out to Schuver for help after the initiative launched. Buell had been quarantining at home because she takes care of her elderly mother.
Schuver said it was important for her to stay within the selected timeframe, especially for students because they may need to rely on public transportation to travel to their vaccine.
“I was so excited when I got that email because there was someone out there who could help me get a vaccine. Trisha got my information, and all I had to do was show up,” Buell said. “Everything was kind of up in the air. I didn’t know if I was going to qualify and where and when I was going to get my shot. Trisha took all of the guesswork out of it. I can’t tell you the amount of relief I feel right now.” Schuver said she’s excited to get back to in-person learning during the fall semester. “I don’t want this to go on any longer than it needs to, and if you’re able to get the shot and want the shot, I’ll get you the shot,” she said.
| MOVEMENT | FALL 2021
“Before Michigan was fully open to everyone, we were sending some people to Ohio,” she said.
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With the blessing of Kinesiology Dean Lori Ploutz-Snyder, Schuver worked with multiple faculty and staff to
A transfer student from Monroe Community College, Schuver said the Applied Exercise Science Student Trisha Schuver (far right) and her daughters
