Lahainaluna High School HOSA students (from left) Nikki Zamani, Krizhna Bayudan, Anjanette Aveno and Alexis Matias achieved top ten finishes at the International Leadership Conference.

LAHAINA – Lahainaluna High School Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) competitors travelled to Dallas, Texas to compete in the International Leadership Conference (ILC) on June 27-30.

The Hawaii Delegation brought just over 200 students, who competed against the best in the world in medical and leadership events.

Hawaii welcomed home eight top ten high school winners – two from Lahainaluna.

Nikki Zamani, a graduating senior who will attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa this fall, earned fourth place in Physical Therapy.

Alexis Matias and Krizhna Bayudan, also attending UH Manoa this fall, along with their teammate, Anjanette Aveno, an incoming junior, brought home a silver medal in Health Education.

All three graduates earned multiple scholarships to UH Manoa, including the Chancellor’s Scholarship and two that are available to HOSA pathway students at LHS: the Lahaina Complex Tutoring Scholarship and the Lahaina- Honolua Senior Citizens’ Scholarship.

The International Leadership Conference delegates from LHS, who earned tickets to the event by advancing through Maui District and state HOSA competitions, not only competed in their respective events but also attended professional workshops, symposiums and a Healthcare Exposition.

At the conference, the students made important industry relationships to help secure future scholarships and career opportunities, said Malia Shimomura, Lahainaluna High School Health Services Pathway instructor and HOSA advisor.

Keynote speakers included U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams and Dr. Rick Rigsby, CEO of Rick Rigsby Communications.

“Dr. Rigby’s message, as well as HOSA’s mission, was to not judge, do good, show up early, do something the right way, be kind and make an impact,” Shimomura noted.

During their free time, Lahainaluna HOSA competitors visited the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, challenged the roller coasters at Six Flags, took a breather at the Galleria Mall and even tried an infamous Whataburger.

For the last 13 years, competitors from Lahainaluna’s International Leadership Conference teams have worked tirelessly to pass both district and state competitions.

Only the top three winners from each state qualify for the prestigious international event.

The Lahainaluna HOSA students thanked AHEC, Hawaii Pacific Health, Pacific Basin, The Gazebo, Mary Millisor, Simeon Restaurants, Ed Bartholomew, Barbara Newton, Tanya Arakawa, Evelyn Toba and Dorothy Abthahi for helping to support the trip.