Lahainaluna HOSA students compete in national contest

Ten Lahainaluna High School students traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to compete in the 2013 HOSA National Leadership Conference.
LAHAINA – This summer, ten Lahainaluna High School students and their Health and Medical Services Pathway advisor, Malia Shimomura, traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to compete in the 2013 HOSA National Leadership Conference.
Students competed, qualified and advanced through a district competition held at the University of Hawaii Maui College, then on to the Hawaii Convention Center on Oahu for their state competition, then on to the largest academic conference in the nation.
At the conference, Ho’olaike Cabanilla came in fifth place in the country in the Extemporaneous Speaking event, and Vincent Sarian finished in eighth place in Medical Assisting.
In addition, Breea Yamat made it into the second round of the Healthy Lifestyle contest, and Sarian and Marella Galace advanced to the second round in CPR/First Aid.
With more than 150,000 members, HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) is an organization that develops future healthcare leaders.
Some 7,500 of the most competitive HOSA students attend this conference to learn, meet new people, experience new opportunities and compete at the highest level.
The Hawaii delegation sent 165 students to compete at both secondary and post-secondary levels. LHS students Cabanilla (Extemporaneous Speaking), Sarian (Medical Assisting and CPR/First Aid), Yamat (Healthy Lifestyle), Galace (CPR/First Aid), Paige Cajudoy (Pharmacology), Chantelle Baclay (Human Growth and Development), Jeannie Ramelb (Medical Math), Leslie Garo (Job Seeking Skills) and Amanda Matsuda (Prepared Speaking) went on the trip.
The ten students who traveled to Nashville “not only got to meet new faces from around the nation, including Puerto Rico, but they also attended professional symposiums enhancing their knowledge in medical, career opportunities and learning strategies,” Shimomura explained.
The LHS students also experienced networking at a health exposition, attended leadership workshops and heard speeches from keynote speakers like Dr. Ben Carson, the famous neurosurgeon who pioneered many surgical innovations and inspired the movie “Gifted Hands.”
During their short moments of free time, they visited the Grand Ole Opry, The Frist Museum and The Country Music Hall of Fame, and enjoyed the culture of downtown Nashville.
“This year, LHS proudly demonstrated their hard work, as the team resulted in three round two qualifiers and two top ten national winners. All ten students expressed pride in their efforts with or without the recognition,” Shimomura said.
“The team consisted of seven seniors, whom will be attending various colleges and universities this fall.”
Lahainaluna High School HOSA thanked School Activities Coordinator Art Fillazar, Gilbert and Associates and many Lahaina community supporters who helped fund this trip.