Centennial Students Lead The Way At International Leadership Conference

From Centennial HS: Five students from Centennial High School brought home high awards from the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL from June 21-24, 2017. Olivia Datta was elected to the National Office Executive Council as the Eastern Vice President; Karis Wang earned first place in the Extemporaneous Health Poster competition; and Alexandra Chapman represented Centennial leadership in the “HOSA Happenings” event.

If you haven’t heard of HOSA, you may want to learn more. HOSA is an international student organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Education (HSE) Division of the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). HOSA's two-fold mission is to promote career opportunities in the health care industry and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people. HOSA's goal is to encourage all health science instructors and students to join and be actively involved in the HSE-HOSA Partnership.

“This organization is all about creating leadership in our youth and I am so proud of the professionalism displayed by our students,” said Christina Branch, a Healthcare Science Technology teacher and HOSA Advisor at Centennial High School.

Competition is intense. To put these accomplishments into perspective, over 9,500 students attended the international conference, competing in only 57 events and Centennial was recognized in two of them.

For Olivia Datta, the competition began well before the conference. Being elected to the National Executive Council is an arduous process. It begins with a 20-page application, video submission, online interview, exam and a panel interview. Candidates that get through this phase are slated for a specific position and then voted on by the state officers from across the United States.

“I am so proud of Olivia, Karis, Alexandra, and all of our HOSA students for their dedication to health and wellness—essentially making the world a better place by promoting healthcare education, said Principal Kibbey Crumbley. “HOSA students represent all that is the spirit of excellence in community collaboration at Centennial High School!”

Images Courtesy of Centennial HS