Health Occupations Students of America is a national organization dedicated to educating students across the country through instruction, demonstration and competition. HOSA’s mission is primarily accomplished through clubs within schools. The Oak Park High School chapter aims to build the foundation for the next generation of medical professionals.
Determined to contribute to this mission, junior Meera Shreedhar has stepped in as club president this year.
“I was a part of the club last year and I really liked what the club had done,” Shreedhar said. “I’m someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare field, so this is something that personally interests me.”
Shreedhar’s passion for the club shines in her interactions with its members.
“The overall idea is to promote the careers in the healthcare industry and to educate our peers in these opportunities present in the healthcare world,” Shreedhar said.
The HOSA board has a multitude of ideas in motion to support this mission, including fundraising events.
“We’ve greatly expanded the club from last year,” Shreedhar said. “We’re also planning on hosting guest speaker events which they did last year, but more so volunteer events to provide actual opportunities for people to experience healthcare activities.”
Additionally, a major part of the club is the HOSA competition, from which OPHS is banned. While Shreedhar is unsure of the reason for the ban, she plans to reinstate our school in the competition.
“There’s been a lot of communication with the Cal State HOSA manager who oversees all of the HOSA teams in California and a lot of conversation with the administration at our school,” Shreedhar said. “There’s definitely a lot of moving parts, but we’ve started that discussion and we hope to be back in the competition sometime soon.”
Despite this, the club continues to promote its message and educate its members in healthcare.
“I think that you really don’t need to have any prior knowledge about the healthcare field to join. It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with peers that have a similar interest, and also to learn, grow and make connections,” Shreedhar said. “HOSA helps students find opportunities that they’re passionate about and turn those into careers.”
