After all participants in Diamond Bar High School’s Health Occupations Students of America organization qualified for the State Leadership Conference for the first time in seven years, one member of the group will go on to compete in the International Leadership Conference.
In the state event, sophomore Marcus Hsieh placed first in Cultural Diversity and Disparities in Healthcare, senior Breanna Yang placed fourth in Human Growth and Development and senior Nitin Murali placed fourth in Medical Spelling. Additionally, junior Purav Shah, freshmen Virginia Lee and Chloe Hsieh, along with Hsieh and Yang, all placed as finalists for the Healthcare Issues exam.
Yang, who is also the HOSA vice president, said that to prepare for the competition, the group attended weekly study sessions.
“Since everyone is participating in a different event, test, or competition with the exception of a few students doing the same event as one another, everyone has a different reason as to why they are studying,” HOSA president Murali said via Instagram.
Participants took exams on an online testing platform prior to the actual conference dates. During the event itself, members had the option to participate in workshops or listen to guest speakers. The workshops consisted of pre-recorded videos about a variety of topics ranging from mental health to anatomy.
“My least favorite part for this year would have to be that the conferences were held online,” Murali said. “But my favorite part would have to be actually competing since usually I compete with a group of friends.”
All of the attendees received the chance to take part in round two, although not all of them placed. Due to his placement in the state competition, Hsieh will be moving on to the international event in June.