Louisiana HOSA SLC

Strong HOSA spirit was alive at the Louisiana HOSA State Leadership Conference in Pineville, Louisiana. From March 12-14, Nzuekoh Nchinda had the pleasure of being a part of the HOSA excitement . She was greeted with wholehearted hospitality by the Louisiana HOSA state advisor Ms. Shirlene Bender and the Louisiana HOSA state officers, who introduced her to Louisiana notables like Mardi Gras and gumbo.

As Nzuekoh interacted with the HOSA members from different parts of the state, she was struck by the incredible amount of enthusiasm and dedication members have for HOSA. Although Louisiana HOSA is a smaller state association of 200+ members, it is quickly growing. HOSA has truly resonated with the students because of the great need for quality healthcare in the state. Many communities in Louisiana are underserved. HOSA's partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation struck home, for diabetes is a prevalent health concern in Louisiana. Thus, the students have been very driven to educate their communities.

While helping to set up the conference, Nzuekoh met student volunteers from a new local chapter at Hicks High School. She was impressed by how much initiative their chapter had taken. In a school of less than 100 students, they had 23 active members in their chapter. They exemplified true HOSA spirit in their enthusiasm to participate in different competitive events, run for state office, and be helping hands throughout the conference. It was a wonderful experience to see the growth of HOSA first-hand.

The Opening Ceremony kickstarted the conference with encouraging words from Ms. Shirlene and the state officers. Nzuekoh also gave greetings from the HOSA National Executive Council and held a short question/answer session to help the members learn more about HOSA.

The conference continued to run at high energy. HOSA members were able to attend different workshops, including leadership, teambuilding, and HOSA trivia workshops run by Nzuekoh. The members were also able to be part of a "Don't Text and Drive" campaign and signed a banner pledging to end this dangerous driving habit.

During the lunch information session, state officer elections were held. Nzuekoh was impressed by the number of candidates who ran and how passionately each candidate spoke about their commitment and growth in HOSA. It was great to see how students have been inspired not only to be active members but to be leaders as well at both the local and state levels.

Nzuekoh also enjoyed seeing the members prepare and compete in various competitive events. Nzuekoh had the honor of serving as a judge of the Researched Persuasive Speaking and Prepared Speaking events. Again, Nzuekoh was impressed by the members. Many of the competitors spoke eloquently with fresh perspectives. HOSA members truly are honing the skills needed to be the health professionals and leaders of tomorrow. An impressive number of members qualified to compete at the National Leadership Conference, and hopefully, there will be many to strongly represent Louisiana HOSA.

The Louisiana HOSA State Conference was a success. Members left feeling inspired and proud of their chapters and state. Nzuekoh felt equally inspired and proud of HOSA. It was an amazing experience to see strength and potential for success that HOSA gives its members.