Spanish Free Clinic - Student Stories
Matt's Story
Through a fellow Spanish major my freshman year, I found out
about the Trinity Free Clinic of Carmel. Volunteering there has
been an excellent way for me to utilize what I learn in class and
to give back to the community. The Trinity Free Clinic of Carmel
opens its doors every Saturday to the Hispanic community of
Hamilton county. Doctor's, dentists, pharmacists, interpreters, and
desk worker positions are all filled by volunteers who genuinely
care about the welfare of the Hispanic community.
My most rewarding experience was when I interpreted for an
elderly man from South America named Señor Aguilera. He was so
grateful for everything that the clinic was doing and made sure to
let me know and to have me let everyone else at the clinic know,
too. To show his gratitude, he had me bring a few of the other
volunteers together so that he could sing us all a song. It's
moments like these that really make me passionate about
volunteering.
Sarah's Story
I was introduced to the Trinity Free Clinic shortly after
returning from my semester abroad...and I've been going back ever
since. Interpreting at the clinic not only helps me brush up on my
medical Spanish vocabulary, it lets me connect with real people in
a real way. With this connection I can put what I have learned to
work and have the opportunity to help them with more than just
their medical needs.
Irene's Story
I started volunteering at Trinity Free clinic my freshman year
at Butler after hearing about it from my mom. I was interested in
the field of dentistry and she told me they were looking for people
to help in the dental clinic, so I jumped on the opportunity, and I
started volunteering as a dental float - basically making sure
everything was running smoothly in the clinic. At the same time,
working in the clinic allowed my to use my Spanish as I quickly
realized that the majority of the speakers were Hispanic. My
ability to communicate with them became invaluable. The clinic
usually provides interpreters for the medical part, so my already
working in the dental part and being able to interpret for the
staff was very important. I really look forward to every Saturday
in the clinic because I get to meet such wonderful people. The
patients there are very friendly and always want to learn more
about you or tell you their life story, and that is the best part
of the experience. I really enjoy being able to work in the dental
clinic as I want to be a dentist, but serving as an interpreter at
the same time makes the experience a hundred times better!