Meet Oscar: A Medical Student Looking to Serve His Community.

Home Repairs for Good was casually mentioned a few times during Oscar’s first year of medical school when he would catch up with his good friend Nathan, who was involved with our organization at the time.

Last summer, Nathan served as a vetting intern with us through the Indiana University School of Medicine’s AmeriCorps program, meeting with older homeowners to learn what repairs they needed and gathering information to determine whether they qualified for our services. This summer, it was Oscar’s turn.

But Oscar’s connection to Home Repairs for Good began even before his internship.

During IUSM’s Fall Service Day last year, Oscar recognized our nonprofit from his conversations with Nathan and noticed that we were hosting our annual Fall Repair Fest. He reached out to Nathan, and the two decided to volunteer together that Saturday morning, along with over 100 other volunteers, to lend a hand with yard work for an older homeowner.

That experience stayed with Oscar as he began thinking about how he wanted to spend the following summer. “For most medical students, their mind goes to research,” he explains. “But I’ve always loved service and helping out my community. When I learned about the IUSM AmeriCorps program and how it combined both service and community-engaged research, I knew I wanted to apply for it.”

Oscar was accepted as a vetting intern with Home Repairs for Good and was paired with our Client Services Manager, Isaiah Tworek, an experienced social worker who would serve as his primary mentor.

As it turns out, Oscar and Isaiah had already met—during last year’s Fall Repair Fest.

Isaiah had previously mentored Nathan and followed a similar approach with Oscar, teaching him how to interact with older homeowners, understand their needs, and gather the information necessary to help move them through the process of receiving critical home repairs at no cost.

Oscar describes Isaiah as friendly, approachable, and supportive. But rather than simply observing, Oscar was encouraged to get out and begin vetting clients himself.

For Oscar, that balance between independence and guidance made an impression, stating that “His approach of encouraging people to be independent while at the same time giving them the confidence to do so is something that I want to incorporate when I’m mentoring incoming medical students.”

Isaiah feels similarly about Oscar’s contributions to the team, describing him as “a great asset to our team” and an “easy-going, very likable guy.”

Oscar’s medical training also proved valuable when navigating difficult conversations with homeowners. Isaiah noted that Oscar was able to communicate with clients with a calmness and understanding that they appreciated.

One of those conversations has stayed with Oscar.

Early in the summer, while vetting one of his first clients, Oscar asked the homeowner about her personal story as part of the appointment. She shared that she had recently undergone surgery for breast cancer and described how the experience had affected her ability to work. As she recounted what she had been through, she became emotional.

Oscar felt compelled to give her a hug.

The moment has stayed with him—not because he had a solution to her problems, but because he realized that sometimes simply being present can make a difference.

Through his time volunteering with us, Oscar’s interest in the broader impact of home repairs and its effect on the health of older adults grew.

One day, he came across one of our blog posts about how volunteering can build a bridge between older and younger generations. It got him thinking about another potential benefit of home repairs for older adults: their impact on mental health and well-being.

Before medical school, Oscar volunteered with Crisis Text Line. Some of the conversations that stayed with him were with older adults experiencing social isolation because they could no longer get out of their homes as easily—whether because of a loss of social connection or health and mobility challenges.

His experience with Home Repairs for Good gave him another perspective on that issue: sometimes, improving a person’s physical environment can also help improve their ability to feel connected, safe, and independent.

With this in mind, Oscar plans to work on a research project while at IUSM to see the impact that the work we are doing for older homeowners impacts their mental health. For now though, his internship has come to an end as he prepares to begin his second year at IUSM. While his plans may evolve, Oscar currently hopes to pursue psychiatry.

For Oscar, his time with Home Repairs for Good reinforced something he had already begun to understand through medicine and service: helping someone is not always about having the perfect solution. Sometimes, it starts with listening, showing up, and understanding the circumstances that shape a person’s life.

See a glimpse of what a Day in the Life looked like for Oscar as one of our vetting interns. If you are interested in helping us vet more homeowners, click here to learn more.

And as Oscar puts it, “Vetting is a great way to not only meet new people, but also get to know the Indy area better. Even if you’re not sure about the impact you’re making, just know that being a set of ears for people already means a lot.”