As head lifeguard for VCU Recreational Sports, Natividad is trained to save lives. Since the pandemic, that’s included keeping a distance and encouraging others to do the same.

Now that life-saving vaccines are available, keeping people safe means getting vaccinated, Natividad said. That’s why this shot matters. “I want to make sure my family is safe, all my friends are safe,” she said.

Before the vaccine became available, Natividad did her part by ending her trips home to Fredericksburg, where her parents live with her grandfather and younger sister. Since getting vaccinated, she and other vaccinated relatives have vacationed in the Outer Banks.

“If you haven't got your shot yet, you should,” she said. “It was so convenient and easy. It's a step in the right direction towards a normal life.”

To get vaccinated, go to vaccinate.virginia.gov. To read more stories like this, visit vcuhealth.org/thisshotmatters.