It began in innocent enough fashion but has continued to expand until recently, when it gained regional prominence.
Camdyn Wu, a junior at San Marino High School, was hoping to schedule COVID vaccines for her grandparents, but soon encountered frustration when the websites were difficult to navigate and time consuming.
Wu, with the assistance of SMHS classmates Chelsea An and Amber Tang, immediately launched Book-My-Vax as an avenue to assist senior citizens in acquiring their vaccines.
The service has attracted dozens of senior citizens in need of their assistance and also the attention of media outlets looking to praise the trio for their good turn. An, Wu and Tang were interviewed recently by Gina Silva for a feature that aired on Fox Channel 11 News.
“Book-My-Vax has been such an exciting and eye-opening experience, and it’s really allowed us to foster strong and heartfelt connections with the community,” said An, who has stayed busy during quarantine with Science Olympiad competitions and mentoring the Huntington Middle School science team. “I also started designing pieces of artwork that mesh concepts in biology and art together to make biological concepts more accessible to the general public. I’ve really enjoyed it and the results have been pretty cool.”
An admits she was surprised by the positive reaction to their program, but acknowledged it “reaffirms that services like these that bridge generational or technological gaps are welcome and needed.”
A member of the San Marino High School girls’ basketball team, Tang is also “passionate about the sciences” and enjoys volunteering in the community.
“We enjoyed the recognition from a local news station, which was reaffirming and one of the events that made us feel like we were making a difference,” said Tang, who enjoys cooking with her family and watching “Great British Bake Off.” “Hopefully, through the exposure, more people will reach out to us for help and other students may be inspired by our actions and undertake this or another volunteer project in their communities.”
The ringleader of the operation, Wu is a member of the SMHS speech and varsity tennis teams and plays the viola and enjoys gardening in her free time.
“Book-My-Vax has been a rewarding experience because we are able to help senior citizens and others in the area,” Wu said. “I’m glad this project is fulfilling a need of the community. The experience of being interviewed for Fox 11 News was a great opportunity for us to share our project with a wider audience of people who may need help finding appointments or other students who may be interested in starting a similar project in their communities.”
The service is free of charge and contactless and remains as popular as ever. Prospective users are asked to text or call (626) 922-3400, send an email to bookmyvax@gmail.com or fax (626) 287-9630 as soon as possible. One of the three volunteers will help senior citizens through the process.
Senior Citizen Vaccination Service Grows in Popularity
