Seven students will attend this year’s HOSA National Leadership Conference. The students at the event, which takes place on June 20-23 in Orlando, Florida, will network, further their medical education and compete to win national titles.
“I am always excited for all of the students who attend competitions,” medical science teacher Kimberly Miller said. “They have to work hard to make it to nationals and I am very proud of all seven.”
Eighteen students attended state, with 11 placing in the top five in various categories. However, in order to be able to compete at nationals, the students had to place third or higher in their respective category at the state level.
Some of the competitions include taking tests to demonstrate knowledge in a certain field while others are presentations about a researched topic. Junior Shaili Tapiavala will present a tri-fold board with her partner, junior Brianna Polyak, in a five-minute period to judges who include teachers and medical field professionals. Under their chosen category of career health display, Tapiavala and Polyak chose to research the profession of nephrologists, who study functions and diseases of the kidney. Although they have the option of making a new project for nationals, they have decided to keep the same one that helped them succeed at state. They will prepare for the competition by reviewing their oral presentation.
“We picked that topic because it was out there and we didn’t think anyone else would do it,” Tapiavala said. “We learned the general gist of what nephrologists do. We weren’t really thinking we wanted to be one.”
Junior Adam Jurecki will attend nationals for his second time to take a test on current affairs in the medical field. He said that HOSA has been very beneficial to him and hopes to have a career in the health field.
“Through HOSA I have been able to talk to a lot of professionals to help me decide what career I want to have in my life,” Jurecki said. “It has been a very positive experience.”
Miller also said that students benefit from HOSA by becoming strong student leaders as a result of the club being a student-run organization.
“The students do much of the work on their own,” Miller said. “However, they know we are always here to help
Like the students who will attend nationals, Miller said she hopes for the best in the competitions.
“The competition is very hard at nationals but we have wonderful students who excel,” Miller said. “I believe we will have some, if not all, students place.”
