DHS Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Club: empowering future health care workers and leaders

At the end of last year, then-sophomores Eliza Bigelow and Ayla Wright had an idea: to start a club at Dexter High School for students interested in pursuing careers in health care. Both students are part of the Washtenaw Community College (WCC) Health Care Cluster, a three-course sequence of college-level health classes taught at DHS that awards students three WCC college credits upon completion. Inspired by that experience, they sought to establish a local chapter of the national organization Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). They asked David Teddy, a DHS health teacher, to serve as advisor—and the club quickly took off.

 

HOSA is similar to organizations like Youth in Government, promoting career exposure, preparation, and hands-on experiences in health sciences and medical fields. It also encourages community involvement and volunteerism. The DHS chapter now has about twenty students who regularly attend biweekly meetings, including fourteen paid HOSA members. All students interested in health care are welcome to join the club and benefit from presentations and guest speakers. Paid members are also eligible to compete at the regional, state, and national levels.

 

On January 17, eight DHS students competed at the HOSA Regionals at Brighton High School. The event drew 580 students competing in 50 events. The top five teams in each event advanced to the HOSA State Competition in April in Traverse City.

Two Dexter teams qualified: juniors Eliza Bigelow and Ayla Wright placed second in CPR/First Aid, and juniors Delaney Hines and Bella Sanders placed fifth in the EMT event. Audrey Bi and Emma Sebag (freshman) along with Abigail Dobry and Vivian Linebaugh (juniors) also delivered a strong performance in Medical Terminology, but narrowly missed the top five. Mr. Teddy served as a judge for the Medical Innovations event, where students presented original ideas for the future of health care.

Reflecting on the team’s first competition, Mr. Teddy shared, “I am very proud of them for putting themselves out there and giving it a shot. Now we know what to expect and will be prepared for next year.”

The DHS HOSA Club meets every other Tuesday before school and is open to all interested students. While much of the first semester focused on preparing for regionals, members also heard from guest speakers, including primary care physician Dr. Cheryl LaMore and pediatric surgeon Dr. Matthew Ralls. 

The club is entirely student-run. Members create agendas and presentations and coordinate guest speakers. Eliza Bigelow and Ayla Wright serve as co-presidents, Julianna Richards is vice president, Vivian Linebaugh is secretary, Marissa Idalski is treasurer, and Delaney Hines manages social media (@hosa_dexter on Instagram). “These students are really invested,” said Mr. Teddy. “They are doing a great job.”

To learn more about the DHS HOSA Club, contact Eliza (eliza.bigelow@dexterschools.org) or Ayla (wright.ayla@dexterschools.org)–they are happy to help!