National Officers, Nicole Scott and Claire Lucas joined Past HOSA Inc. Board Chair Nancy Allen in Washington, D.C. The three were joined by national and state officers from the eight other Career and Technical Student Organizations like(BPA, FFA, SkillsUSA, DECA, etc.). As HOSA is the largest student organization for health care, there was a lot to say about how HOSA is impacting the future.
Assistant Secretary Dann-Messier was appointed by President Obama to her position in the US Department of Education to initiate efforts for career and technical education. The Assistant Secretary was eager to hear from students how they became involved in their CTSO and how it influenced their education and plans for the future.
Nicole, Claire, and Mrs. Allen had no problems expressing how HOSA changed their lives. Nicole who is a double major in Biochemistry and Global Health at Arizona State University attributes her success today to the leadership opportunities in HOSA. She explained how the HOSA Internship in the Office of the Surgeon General opened her eyes to a new field of medicine - global health. Because of HOSA, Nicole has the resources and direction to pursue her M.D. and wishes to practice medicine in undeserved populations.
Claire told her story about the challenges she faced when she entered high school. She was not interested in planning her future until she took her first health science class. Lucas knew what she was good at and what she loved to do, but she did not know how to incorporate the two into her future. In the classroom she was immediately drawn to medical math and learning about how the human body worked. By participating in HOSA's Competitive Events program, she was able to gain real life experience by shadowing health professionals in the hospital setting. It was then that she decide she wanted to become an engineer and work to make hospital practices more efficient. Claire thanked HOSA for the opportunities to learn inside the classroom and to apply it through workplace experiences.
Overall, the three were grateful for the opportunity to represent HOSA at such an important meeting. It is clear, that when a student is involved in HOSA, or any CTSO, their future is destined to be successful.
