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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. 鈥� Kenny A. Villatoro had seen the darkest side of the pandemic, so he jumped at the chance to head toward the light.

As a personal care aide, Villatoro saw first denial, then terror and hopelessness in the eyes of the patients he treated in the Critical Care COVID Unit of Staten Island University Hospital during the first agonizing months of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, all while he pursued his nursing degree.

He even caught and battled the virus himself.

Then, after graduating from the St. Paul鈥檚 School of Nursing 鈥� and just days after passing his nursing boards 鈥� he began vaccinating people against the virus.

鈥淚 wanted the other perspective of it,鈥�' he said. 鈥淣ot just doing CPR on a patient that needed it, but also looking at it from the other spectrum, knowing we can get ahead of this virus 鈥� not allow them to get to the point where they have to experience that.鈥�

Villatoro, a Brooklyn resident, is one of 20 August 2020 graduates of the Bloomfield nursing school, formerly St. Vincent鈥檚 School of Nursing, to jump right into the prevention effort by joining COVID-19 vaccine teams.

鈥淚 needed to be a part of this movement,鈥�' he said. 鈥淲hile it鈥檚 not the best of circumstances, we are part of history.鈥�'

David Smith, president of the nursing school, said he couldn鈥檛 be more proud of his graduates, who鈥檝e stepped up to fill the need in vaccine distribution before they received their nursing licenses. Once they pass the exams, nursing job placement is almost instantaneous, he said, and the jobs are anything but glamourous.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e on the front lines,鈥�' Smith said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the ones that are saving lives.鈥�
Villatoro, 37, has five years of healthcare experience. Having survived COVID himself empowered him to better care for the frightened patients who might have otherwise given up, he said.

鈥淚t gave me a better understanding of how to motivate patients,鈥�' he said. 鈥淭hey needed the motivation to know that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. What they鈥檙e feeling in the moment, they feel like that鈥檚 forever.鈥�'

While continuing to care for COVID patients as a SIUH nurse, he delivers vaccines for Affiliated Physicians in Brooklyn and the Bronx during several long shifts each week. He estimated that he鈥檚 so far delivered more than 1,400 of the city鈥檚 more than 7 million vaccines.

鈥淭hough it鈥檚 a small impact, I really feel like I鈥檓 making a difference,鈥�' he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my purpose.鈥�'

He鈥檚 passionate about both jobs. And he has no plans to stop either any time soon.

Smith says he鈥檚 amazed that his school鈥檚 enrollment didn鈥檛 drop when COVID hit Staten Island so hard. 鈥淟et鈥檚 face it, it鈥檚 scary,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t amazed me that we didn鈥檛 have a mass flee. Staten Island was particularly hard hit. So, the fact that my students were staying in the program, were getting their licenses and putting themselves on the front line. How could I feel anything but pride?鈥�

Villatoro says joining the vaccination effort is rewarding. The patients who line up to be vaccinated have a positive, enthusiastic outlook 鈥� and it鈥檚 contagious, he said.

鈥淢ost people come in with this attitude of 鈥榶es, we鈥檙e finally here,鈥欌��' he said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 what鈥檚 most impactful. People have been waiting in the dark for this. Now, they get to come into the light.鈥�'