Oumar is in his second year of medical school at Queen’s University in Kingston, but he’s brought a little bit of House of Friendship with him.
As a child, Oumar and his family arrived in Canada, leaving Iraq just days before the American invasion in 2003. They had to leave everything behind and start over.
The support Oumar’s family received through House of Friendship’s programs at Courtland Shelley Community Centre made a huge difference, helping Oumar feel at home and accepted.
Oumar, who grew up with the support of House of Friendship programs at Courtland Shelley Community Centre, is in his second year of medical school at Queen’s University.
As a youth, Oumar started volunteering, handing out food and providing Arabic translation for community members. Later on, he led the Boys in Leadership program, mentoring young boys in the community and inspiring them to become leaders in their own community.
And now, as he navigates his training to become a doctor, he’s seeing just how much value his time at House of Friendship brings to the work he is doing.
“I remember working with a plastic surgeon in the clinic,” said Oumar. “One of his patients was actually an incarcerated person from one of the penitentiaries in Kingston. And what the doctor immediately did was, despite the fact that this person was in handcuffs, he still went to shake this person’s hand.”
This simple act of compassion reminded Oumar of House of Friendship. “Giving people courtesy and respect is so ingrained in the work I did at House of Friendship that it really translates to the work I’m doing now.”
Oumar said that on average, a doctor tends to interrupt a patient in the first 13 seconds of an exam. But when Oumar was part of Boys in Leadership, he learned to slow down and listen.
“You really have to listen to people, not just to even understand what’s happening to them, but to give them that time of day and to make them feel as though they are respected,” said Oumar. “I think it’s important, because no matter how busy your day is, if you hear your patients, you’re going to make a difference.”
Oumar credits the support he received through House of Friendship, along with the opportunities he had to volunteer and work in his own community, as important steps on his journey to medical school.
“This was always my dream,” said Oumar. “But there were times I was wondering how I was going to get there.
“Getting into medical school can be a rich person’s game, because you have more resources to go to school without having to work a part-time job, and then your grades are going to be higher. Some people can afford tutoring services and have connections to people who can help them get research projects.
“I didn’t have those things. I worked a job through high school and undergrad. But the volunteering I did, and the resources I had access to as a kid at Courtland Shelley, were beneficial.
“I think a big focus on my application was that there was a lot of volunteer work, and those were things that helped me get into my school.”
Thank you for your support of Neighbourhoods programs, ensuring that young men like Oumar get the help they need to pursue their dreams!
