An inside look behind HOSA’s trip to State

HOSA, formerly “Health Occupations Students of America”, stands for Future Health Professionals. Competitors are able to demonstrate their knowledge in the healthcare field through participation in a maximum of five events (one per category) per competitor. The five categories include: Health Sciences, Health Professions, Emergency Preparedness, Leadership, and Teamwork. 

Every year, Conant’s HOSA chapter goes to the Illinois State Leadership Conference (SLC) in Springfield. In order to qualify for SLC, students must go through preliminary testing and have good standing. Out of the students who do well on their preliminary testing, 25 students are chosen to go to SLC. 

Students who place third through first place in any of the events are invited to the International Leadership Conference (ILC), and those who place tenth through fourth are considered Finalists. 

This week, from March 20-22, Conant was state-bound. 

I would like to invite you to come with me, a second year HOSA state qualifier, to SLC! Last year, I was a state qualifier and finalist for my event titled Veterinary Science. This year, I have qualified for the same event. 

Stay tuned until the end of the photo story to see all of Conant’s award winners!

 

To begin our journey, we are called out of 8th period on Wednesday in order to gather our luggage and get on the bus. At this point, the excitement among the group is palpable. We have members of all grades: some seasoned members, and some who have never competed in HOSA before. 

 

The bus ride across the southern countryside of Illinois takes about four hours, which feels like forever for students getting ready to compete in a state-wide competition. 

 

We stop for dinner for about an hour on the way. Unfortunately, since we had no idea where we would be stopping, the solo sandwich maker had a hard time keeping up with orders from about fifteen hungry students. 

After about another hour of being on the bus, we make it to our hotel at around 8:30. There is extra excitement buzzing among the group due to the fact that our hotel is directly across the street from the Bank of Springfield (BOS) convention center where events will be taking place. 

Last year, due to how far our hotel was, we had to take a bus to and from the convention center, meaning all movement had to be meticulously scheduled. This year it is much more convenient! 

 

At 9:00 pm, we have the choice to go watch a keynote speaker, who discusses mental health among teenagers, in the BOS. After the keynote, we go back to our hotel and get well-needed rest to prepare for the bulk events taking place tomorrow. 

 

After waking up at 5:45 the next morning, it is time to get ready for breakfast at 7:30. For all meals, competitors are required to wear their formal business attire, complete with a HOSA-issued patch and name tag.

 

After breakfast, we are cut loose to do whatever we need to do in order to prepare for our events. There are three time frames for events (9:00-1:00, 1:00-5:00, and 5:00-9:00), and we are given a schedule that tells us what time(s) we need to be competing. On our downtime we are allowed to be in the hotel, out eating lunch, or exploring Springfield, as long as we stay within a reasonable distance of the hotel.

 

 

During my own downtime, it is time for the Quizlet grind to begin. My event will consist of a performance task in front of judges which is chosen from a list provided by the event guidelines, as well as a written exam. This means that I must know how to execute five performance tasks, including “Preparing the Operative Site” and “Preparing a Fecal Flotation”.

 

While studying, competition anxiety starts to get the best of me. Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

 

At around 1:20, I head over to the convention center for my event.  

After my event, I’m not sure how to feel about my performance. Maybe I did well? But what if I didn’t? What if I bombed? 

After a while of debriefing, it is time for the most anticipated part of the evening…

The social. 

 

This year’s social was carnival-themed, meaning that along with a school dance-esque mosh pit in the middle of the room, they had a variety of classic carnival games including Pick A Duck, Darts, Ring Toss, and Pie Face.

 

After getting tired of jumping around and getting our toes stepped on for half an hour, my friends and I decided to go back to our hotel room.

 

To close off the night at around midnight, we ordered some food to be delivered to our room.

 

The next and final morning consists of breakfast and the awards ceremony. All of the participating schools gather in the convention center to receive their awards. 

I am happy to find out that I am once again a state finalist in Veterinary Science. 

 

To end our state experience, we piled all of our luggage and ourselves onto the bus to get back to Conant. The vibes are much calmer than when we departed, as competitors are exhausted from their hard work, but we are all proud of our accomplishments. 

 

Here is the complete list of all of our state finalists from this year. Congratulations to everyone!

Ria Trivedi ‘25 – FINALIST in Behavioral Health

 

Priya Deshmukh ‘25 – FINALIST in Family Medicine Physician 

 

Delia Brennan ‘25 – FINALIST in Physical Therapy 

 

Reyna Patel ‘25 – FINALIST in Pharmacy Science, Extemporaneous Writing, and Health Career Display

 

Alexa Orlowski ‘25 – FINALIST in Veterinary Science

Ria Trivedi ‘25 and Kasak Shah ‘25 – FINALISTS in Mental Health Promotion

Jenita Joel Jayaraj ‘24, Jenny Lee ‘24, Maria Rimando ‘24 – FINALISTS in Public Health

Kasak Shah ‘25 – FINALIST in Healthy Living 

Anya Parikh ‘25 – FINALIST in Researched Persuasive Writing and Speaking

Reyna Patel ‘25, Sanjana Karanam ‘25 – FINALISTS in Health Career Display

Are you interested in joining HOSA for the 2024-2025 competition? 

If studying healthcare and participating in rigorous medical competitions sounds fun to you, you will most definitely enjoy HOSA. In order to see what events you might be interested in, go to HOSA’s competition guidelines and browse the blue events listed under Secondary and Postsecondary/Collegiate Events. 

At Conant, HOSA works just like any other club. Meetings typically take place every other Wednesday from 3:30-4:00 in room 181 or room 129. It is up to the competitor to find time to prepare for their events outside of school. 

To join next year’s Conant chapter, reach out to Vicky DeGuia (CNA instructor) at [email protected].