Six members of the University of Houston’s Health Occupations Students of America competed for three consecutive days in the Texas State HOSA Association Competition and left with several wins Thursday.
HOSA was recently introduced to the University by UH Chapter President David Pham who was involved with the group in high school. This was the chapter’s first time competing in the state competition.
“I felt really good going into this competition,” Pham said.
“Not only would (the members) learn so much to develop their own leadership skills, but I thought it would be great exposure for the University of Houston as well.”
Alonso Marron, Jesna Kurian and Tony Roshan participated in Biomedical Debate section and won first place; Pham was honored with the Barbara James award and won first place in the Extemporaneous Writing portion.
Yasameen Nazemi won first place in Prepared Speaking, and Nam Nguyen won second place in Pathophysiology, which is a knowledge-based exam, and became a part of the top 10 percent of students who had taken the Health Care Issues exam.
Before the competition, members held multiple fundraisers, which Pham said helped a great deal in covering the costs.
They also volunteered at various organizations such as the Houston Food Bank and Walk for Alzheimer’s.
Members involved participated in a CPR class, leadership workshops and tours of different medical centers.
Pham said anyone interested in a career in health care should be a part of HOSA.
“I think HOSA would benefit (students) a lot because we volunteer, we provide a lot of community service opportunities, we also provide them more exposure to the medical field,” Pham said.
“Not only can they participate in competitive events and gain practical skills, the leadership workshops help provide professional development as well.”
The chapter currently has more than 30 members.
