The HOSA trip took place during the week of spring break, the first week of April. Students participating in this trip left on Wednesday, April 3rd and came back on Sunday, April 7th. HOSA stands for Health Occupations Students of America. During this trip, students stayed at Hilton Anaheim, a hotel in Anaheim. The convention also took place within the hotel. The purpose of this convention was to give students who are interested in the medical field an opportunity to get a head start for college. Participating in the MSA program and HOSA has also been proven to look good on college applications. This trip was not only for Valencia High School students. High-schoolers from all over America came to compete at the convention center in their events.
Before this convention, students had the opportunity to choose two events, which they were later tested on. The events they chose were what they would compete for at HOSA. If they passed the tests, then they could move on in the events they passed. However, if someone failed both events, they were still allowed to attend the trip, they just didn’t compete in anything. If someone fails one event, then they also still can go, but they will only compete in the event they passed. If someone got selected to compete for a test, then they would compete beforehand and would see their placementat the Grand Awards Ceremony. At the trip, each student had a unique schedule based on their events. When competing and during most of the time at the convention, students had to dress a specific way, almost like a uniform. These restrictions/uniforms were called HOSA Blues.
Girls and boys were both required to wear a white button up shirt with navy blue slacks. Girls had the option to wear navy blue slacks or a knee-length navy blue skirt. A navy blue blazer and an ascot were both provided and required. Everyone was also required to wear a watch as part of the dress code. Girls with hair touching their shoulders were required to put it up in a bun. This also applies to boys with hair longer than their shoulders. Wearing a belt is optional for girls and required for boys. Girls and boys both were required to wear closed-toed shoes. Girls had the option to wear heels, but it wasn’t recommended because the convention required a lot of walking. Anyone who didn’t follow the dress code wasn’t punished, but for their events they would get marked down for improper dress code.
Most Events started on Thursday April 4th and continued to Friday April 5th. Events that required presentation usually had two rounds. People who passed the first round, went on to compete in the second round. The first round took place on Thursday (April 4th) and the second round took place on Friday (April 5th). Most events ended on Friday, leading up to the Grand Awards Ceremony on Saturday (April 6th). At the Grand Awards Ceremony, people who scored top 5 in their event were called up to the front stage. If you got called up as someone who placed top 5 in their event, then everyone from your school who attended the trip cheered for you.
Whenever students had spare time, instead of sitting around in their hotel room, they were given the opportunity to participate in workshops. Workshops were places where adults, and/or, high-school students got to learn about different topics related to the medical field. For example, one of the workshops was a game show about different medical terms. Another taught students how to suture, (a stitch, or or row of stitches used to hold together a wound, specifically a deep cut made into skin). There were also many other workshops, teaching things like CPR, how to drive safely, the importance of sleep, etc. The importance of these workshops was to teach students lessons that they can use in their daily lives.
Students enrolled in the MSA, (Medical Science Academy), program at Valencia High School got to go on this trip. Current 8th graders who are going to Valencia had the opportunity to apply for MSA, and if they got in, they were automatically able to attend the HOSA trip next year. A handful of current 8th graders also had the opportunity to participate. They were able to do this by applying for the JUMP program, a program similar to the MSA program at Valencia, except for 8th graders. A handful of students from the JUMP class got chosen to go to HOSA because they stood out from the others. Current 7th graders can attend this event by applying for the JUMP program next year, and doing their best in order to get chosen for HOSA.