The West Central HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) Chapter had 25 members compete in this year’s annual SD HOSA State Leadership Conference.   In response to a virtual versus onsite platform, students competed electronically with pictures, videos and off-site testing.   This year’s 2020 state conference boasted 1,000 competing members from 30 South Dakota chapters.

The Health Career Display category is the largest state competition with over 40 participants each year.  After being awarded in 2019 as the runner-up with a Phlebotomy display, Seniors Olvia Heath and Jace Vanderwood vowed to return to competition and take the championship title in 2020.  Their determination, and Ultrasonic Prenatal Sonography display, resulted in a first place finish. Jace and Olivia exceeded expectations by creating a creative 3D display, and a presentation that reflected their research and interactions with sonographers at Sanford Health. 

If you have ever visited Hartford’s Medicap,  you may have been greeted by a smile from part-time employee and WC senior Jordan Pechous.   This was Jordan’s first year in HOSA, but she excelled and earned a 2nd place victory in Pharmacology Knowledge. 

Freshman Landon Traub-Jensen earned 3rd place in a competition that’s significance has been heightened in recent months.  This competition titled Epidemiology requires competitors to show their knowledge of prevalent health statistics provided by resources such as CDC.gov. 

Junior Jocelyn Kuhl, next year’s WC HOSA chapter president, placed second place in Health Care Issues exams, another competition relevant to the times, placing participants in response to their knowledge of current health events! 

HOSA motto: “ The Hands of HOSA Mold the Health of Tomorrow”  

Submitted by — Jeff Peterson, West Central HOSA Advisor