On Friday, Jan. 29, students gathered in Austin to participate in the Health Occupations Students of America Area competition at Lake Travis High School in Austin. Many were successful, as 77 students placed in the top 5, 55 of which will be advancing to the HOSA State competition in Nashville.
Some participants took home valuable lessons learned from competing against fellow classmates in their event.
“Competing with some of your best friends against 21 other teams can be pretty daunting,” senior Paris Bean said. “Putting yourself in that environment and making the most of it with great people is a win in itself, even though you don’t get a medal for it.”
For some participants, being able to see how active the club was in other schools made the trip valuable.
“It was a really different experience, being my first HOSA convention,” sophomore Tori Shiver said. “To see so many young students competing in health science. I didn’t even realize half the high schools they named had HOSA.”
The first HOSA competition of the year has given students a sense of what competitions with the club are like, and many are ready for more.
“I think because of how fun it was and the fact that it’ll help me in the future definitely makes me want to do it again,” sophomore Amythyst Garcia said.
Although several members will advance to state, for some seniors, Area was their final competition.
“Being a senior, this is the last real chance I have to compete with HOSA,” Bean said. “I wish we had made it to state so I could have one last chance at being in the HOSA environment, but I’ll cherish the memories I have from this Area and from State last year because they are some of the greatest experiences I will ever have.”