In recognition of the efforts of the Health Occupation Students of America program in completing their competitions this year, an end of year picnic was organized to be held in the Health Science and Technology wing on Friday, May 25, from 3 p.m to 5 p.m. 

     “I feel pretty excited about the picnic,” junior Lydia Maru said. “I think it’s a great way to interact with other people in HOSA and end the school year off in a fun way, remembering everything that happened.”

     Alongside the students being celebrated for their hard work throughout this year, a lot of the success can be credited to the HOSA sponsors who took time from their day to take students under their wing, guiding and preparing them for their competitions. 

     “They have played a really big part in helping students prepare,” junior Kenaz Johnson said. “I can always see them checking up on students and always being there if they need any help or have any questions. Especially for students who made it to area and state, the teachers were really supportive.”

     This year the HOSA program offered 49 competitions for members to choose from. Each competition helps build healthcare skills as it focuses on a specific field of a health science profession. 

     “I participated in Behavioral Health,” Johnson said. “I think this competition was pretty beneficial because I was able to learn a lot about that specific field of medicine, especially important terms and concepts in the field. It really gave me a lot of insight into the area of study and made me better informed about making my own career choices.” 

     Many events and opportunities were made available to members despite the ongoing events of the pandemic. This marked the first time since before the COVID shutdown that face-to-face service events were open to students and sponsors in HOSA.

     “My favorite experience in HOSA was when we went to area,” Maru said. “It was fun and it was a huge relief that the competition was over.”

     Seniors who have fulfilled their point requirements for their time in HOSA will receive a HOSA cord and stole for graduation. These requirements include participating in at least 20 hours of community service, earning 20 fundraising points by paying dues towards the organization and attending at least 16 general meetings, all while making Area during junior and senior year. 

     “I hope HOSA will have multiple virtual community service points opportunities available for next year,” Maru said. “If I can fulfill my service hour requirements I can get my cord and stole in time for graduation.”