Indiana State Leadership Conference

The Indiana State Leadership Conference was held at the Wyndham Hotel in Indianapolis Indiana.Rahma Mkuu, had the wonderful opportunity of sharing the Indiana SLC experience with the members.

Rahma arrived early to the conference and helped the state officers with preparations for the conference. 

The State officers worked very hard to ensure that the conference would run smoothly and that for the members this would be the best SLC ever!!! 

As the state officers prepared for the Indiana State Leadership conference, there is one alumni member who was there with them. They have nicknamed him “the alumni member.” Not only is the Indiana state advisor a former HOSA member his right hand man is too.

Questions with “The Alumni Member”
Name: David Guffey

When were you a HOSA Member? I was a member between 1986-1995.

As a member what were leadership positions? I served in many chapter offices, my last office was the opportunity to serve as the National Central Region Vice President Post Secondary Collegiate.

What events did you compete in? I competed in Medical Terminology and Dental Terminology.

What made you join HOSA? I wanted to become a doctor and discovered a health career class. My teacher so my potential and encouraged me to join HOSA. Through HOSA I was able to gain leadership skills, learn and develop as a future health professional.

What did you study and what  do you do now? I studied Biology and I work at Roche Diagnostics. I am involved  with research that involves invitro diagnostics. I hope to get the company involved with HOSA soon.

What advice would you give current members? I would encourage them to get active and explore HOSA’s full potential by being involved in leadership positions and volunteering.

You are spending a whole week to help make the Indiana State Conference a success. 
What keeps you motivated? Wanting to help students and members. I want to help them and give them the same experience or even better than I had. My love for the organization keeps me coming back.

What is your favorite HOSA memory?

I have too many, when I ran for state office the state president at the time gave me her pin and said good luck, also winning my competitive events and getting the opportunity to be on the National Executive Board. I still have my metals, pins and certificates.

State Officer Candidates mingle with current officers

 As members arrived, the hotel became alive. Indiana HOSA's first item of business was the candidates for 2011-2012 state offices. The state officer candidates took the state officer candidate exam, were interviewed and gave speeches. The candidates also prepared amazing 30 sec advertisements for members. 

Indiana HOSA introduced online testing this year. This was a wonderful way of insuring that members would enjoy the conference by having time to visit the various symposiums and network. As the members arrived you could tell that they had worked hard to get the opportunity to compete at the state level. 

Above: Members at the orientation session. 

Member Spotlight:

Derek Blevins left, is new to HOSA but his love for health care binds him with members, old and new to the organization. He is a senior this year and although this is his first year as a HOSA member, he is the president of his chapter. What makes Derek Blevins special is that he has completed over 648 community service hours between August 1st and March 23rd. When asked what motivates him to volunteer, he explains that volunteering helps him get better at his skills as well as gives him the opportunity to make other people's work easier. He volunteers at many locations . His main volunteer location though is at his school where he volunteers as a student athletic trainer. He will be attending Ball State University to become an Athletic Trainer and hopes that he will become an Athletic Trainer for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. For him volunteering is an opportunity to help someone else as well as gaining personal knowledge. When asked about his favorite experience volunteering, he shared his experience volunteering for the special Olympics. "I loved to see them smile. Watching them compete at the softball toss was amazing. Two inches is like a mile for them and a big accomplishment." When asked how he balances, school, work , friends and volunteering  his main advice was time management. "You just have to work with what you have. On weekends for example's I start very early. By the time everyone is waking up, I have been up for a while and completed almost all my tasks." He also talked about networking with friends and peers who are interested in healthcare while volunteering. His advice to fellow HOSA members, "In this profession, we have to learn to help others. Volunteering will help you learn to help others and you will learn form the experience." 

Members Participate in HOSA University

Members Network with Exhibitors

Members at the Jersey Shore Dance 

Members had the opportunity be motivated by Mr. Ben Glenn.Mr. Glenn inspired members by sharing his story of living with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. He showcased his extraordinary talent of art by drawing on the canvas on the left in less than 13 minutes. His message focused on inspiring members to never give up when facing hard times. His ability to use humor and relate to the audience was amazing. After his speech, members gained a very inspiring lesson and knew that no matter what the obstacles may be that they are now facing or will face in the future, they can still be successful with perseverance and had work.

Congratulations to all members who attended SLC. Looking forward to seeing you at the National Leadership Conference!