‘Celebrate all that success’: Manteca High HOSA headed to state conference

BY SOHAIL SAFI 
The Tower 

As we leave the cold winter and enter the comforting warmth of spring, there is a group of people who are preparing to represent our school to the state of California: Manteca High’s Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) program.  

They have been working hard since the beginning of the school year in preparation for the state competition and now it is time to put their critical thinking skills, leadership skills, and ability to work on hands-on activities to the test. 

HOSA has attended several conferences this year and now it is time the State Leadership Conference in Sacramento. 

Donning their HOSA blues, you can only imagine the feeling as they arrive in Sacramento and realize where their hard work has taken them. 

This conference consists of group exercises, solo exercises, and various challenges all relating back to the healthcare field and they are completed in front of a crowd of HOSA members from across the state. 

Students attend this conference with the hopes of obtaining a top 5 placement for their prestige and ultimately with the hopes of attending the International Leadership Conference, which takes place in Nashville this year.  

HOSA is open to everyone and should be considered by everyone, Manteca High HOSA president Shubham Sareen said, not just students interested in the medical field. 

The HOSA program not only gives a student career insight into the medical field, but it also provides opportunities for things like community service, fundraisers, and helping build various leadership skills. 

“The average student should consider joining HOSA because it provides opportunities to explore the healthcare field and lets you see how it's like to be in the hospital setting. Even if it's not the right fit for you, HOSA allow us to develop our important skills like leadership, teamwork, or even, communication which could benefit you in the future,” Sareen said. 

At the regional, state and international conferences, HOSA advisors, like Manteca High’s Cheryl Behler and Carol Kemper, get to step back and watch their students take control. 

The HOSA program is an outlet for students with interest in the healthcare field to explore different options and test themselves. 

“If you’re interested in any kind of medical field, whether it's a dental hygienist… or if you want to work in with animals on the medical side, this gives you an opportunity to see what's out there and see what kind of technology they have, what kind of study guides they have, and it just gives you a taste of what you're interested in,” Kemper said. “And sometimes kids change ideas when they see others, like the competitions or some of the sessions that they go to, because they learn about leadership, and they learn about different aspects of the medical especially research." 

SLC is not just a simple test. 

It’s an event with your HOSA chapter. Whether you qualify or not, the people around you are there to be with you and celebrate regardless. 

Sareen shared his favorite memory from past SLCs and why it was so special. 

“My favorite memory for SLC would probably be getting a top three placement for a medical terminology,” he said. “It was just a really rewarding experience to go beyond that stage. (I) walked down to my whole chapter just to celebrate all that success.”