Late in March, the Coronado High School Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) chapter traveled to Sacramento for the State Leadership Conference (SLC). Many students competed, and those who did not compete served on Courtesy Corps, a branch of volunteer HOSA members that assists in setting up competitions and ensuring that SLC runs smoothly. Six Coronado High School HOSA members placed in the top ten in their competition; Emily Wood placed 10th in Clinical Nursing, Katie Larratt placed 8th in Pathophysiology, the team of Mateo Valles-Quintana and Isabela Martinez placed 8th in Emergency Medical Technician, Teresa Perez placed 3rd in Healthy Lifestyle, and Madi Cheever placed 2nd in Healthy Lifestyle. Larratt was also recognized for completing over 100 hours of community service at the UCSD Hillcrest Hospital with the Barbara James Service Award. Larratt, Perez, and Cheever all qualified to compete at the International Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, in June.
Coronado HOSA was founded in December 2010. It started small, with only seven members. The first few months consisted of fundraising to attend and compete at the State Leadership Conference in Sacramento in May 2011. Two members placed in the top ten during the Sports Medicine Competition at SLC that year. Since then, Coronado’s HOSA chapter has continued to grow and today has over 50 members.
Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) is an international student organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Education Division of ACTE. HOSA’s two-fold mission is to promote career opportunities in the health care industry and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people. Every year, high school students from the Coronado HOSA chapter prepare for competitions at the California State Leadership Conference (SLC). Over 2,000 students from secondary and post-secondary schools in California will attend the conference. Members compete in various health science competitions such as sports medicine, healthy lifestyles, or pharmacology. Students start studying as early as October in preparation for SLC in March.
Source: Nado News, a publication of Coronado High School
