Where Compassion Leads: Omida’s Journey of Service
By Omida
My volunteering has always been about showing up for people. Every experience has taught me something different about compassion, responsibility, and the kind of person I want to become. While working in a medical clinic to help refugee families navigate life in a new country, I have found purpose in opportunities where I can learn while making a meaningful difference in someone else’s experience in a new place, as others did for me.
Learning Through Medicine
On Saturdays, I volunteer as a Medical Assistant Apprentice at Simply Salud, with additional days whenever I am needed. This experience has given me the opportunity to learn directly in a clinical environment and develop skills that I hope will prepare me for my future career in medicine.
My training includes patient intake, taking vital signs, preparing exam rooms, documenting information, and protecting patient privacy. I have also begun learning laboratory procedures, including specimen collection, blood draws, fingerstick glucose testing, and proper specimen labeling and processing.
Each new skill comes with a lesson in patience and attention to detail. A medical setting moves quickly, yet every patient deserves to feel heard, respected, and cared for.
What I appreciate most about this experience is being able to learn from the healthcare professionals around me. I am constantly asking questions, observing, and practicing. Every Saturday gives me another opportunity to grow.
Helping Families Find Their Voice
I also volunteer as a Dari and Pashto interpreter with Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains. Through this role, I work with refugee and immigrant families who may face language barriers while navigating healthcare, education, social services, and other important resources.
I know how being able to communicate in someone’s language can make an overwhelming situation feel more manageable. I help families understand conversations with healthcare providers, case managers, schools, and service organizations so they can make informed decisions and advocate for themselves.
This experience has reminded me how important it is to listen carefully. Interpretation requires accuracy, patience, and responsibility. When someone is relying on you to communicate information that affects their family, their health, or their future, every word matters.
At Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, I even volunteer as an ESL tutor. I work with both children and adults on conversation, reading, writing, pronunciation, and everyday English.
Language learning can be intimidating. I enjoy creating a space where people feel comfortable making mistakes, asking questions, and trying again. Seeing someone become more confident in a conversation or successfully use a new phrase is incredibly rewarding. Being part of that process has been deeply meaningful to me.
What Volunteering Has Taught Me
Each of these experiences has shaped me in a different way. My medical apprenticeship has strengthened my interest in healthcare and taught me the importance of precision, professionalism, and patient care. Interpreting has taught me to listen carefully and communicate responsibly. ESL tutoring has shown me the value of patience and encouragement.
Together, these experiences have helped me understand the kind of future I want to build. I want my career to involve caring for people, continuing to learn, and using my skills to serve communities that need support.
I am still learning. There are many skills I hope to develop, many people I hope to meet, and many ways I want to contribute. For now, I am grateful for every opportunity to show up, lend a hand, ask questions, and grow.
Volunteering has become more than something I do in my free time. It has become one of the ways I understand the world around me and the person I hope to become.
None of this would have been possible without the generosity of donors like you.
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