DUARTE, Calif. — The progress in the fight against the coronavirus is moving forward in the San Gabriel Valley as Duarte Unified School District art teacher and president of the Duarte teachers' union, Heather Messner, receives her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

“I’m super pumped. I am excited to see all of my colleagues. I’m sure they’re going to be posting pictures,” said Messner.

As Messner drove to the vaccine station, she said the debate over sending students back to in-person learning was something the teacher union did not take lightly – deciding to go back when it was safe.

“Safety for us meant that our teachers needed to be vaccinated or have the option to be fully vaccinated before return," said Messner.

Thanks to Duarte’s partnership with the City of Hope Medical Center, educators in the city and surrounding school districts in the San Gabriel Valley will be vaccinated.

City of Hope’s Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer Wafa Samara said it was their commitment to the community.

“I see this as Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Everybody is getting together, everybody is getting together to make sure our community is safe," said Samara.

Over a two-day period, volunteers from City of Hope will vaccinate about 1600 educators. It is an optimistic moment representing a return to pre-pandemic times in getting teachers protected and back to school.

“We always say City of Hope is about turning hope into reality and for us, turning this into reality where people get their vaccines and we can go back to some kind of a normal life and our kids can go back to school," said Samara. 

For Messner, getting her first dose was easy and a big sigh of relief.

“I am excited. I never thought I’d be that excited to get a shot," she said.

Duarte plans to phase-in preschoolers through fifth grade back to school on April 5. While Messner teaches middle school, and will still be teaching from home, she will be on-site for the rollouts as the teachers’ union president, now with more confidence because of the vaccine.

“This is a day that we’re all going to remember right? A day for the books", said Messner.

Its a day where hope and community coincide to enhance the public safety of this neighborhood and those that surround it.