Chanhassen High School students had a strong showing at the Jan. 5 HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) Region 1 Mid-Winter Conference, held at Hennepin Technical College in Eden Prairie. The event brought together future health professionals from across the region to compete in hands-on, health-related challenges and showcase their knowledge in a range of disciplines.
A total of 42 Chanhassen students competed in the first round of virtual HOSA events in December, with 22 advancing to the in-person competition. Most spent the day preparing and presenting their events to judges during scheduled sessions.
“There are many different events in which students can compete,” said Shelly Leatham, Chanhassen’s HOSA advisor. “They range from medical innovation to public health, emergency preparedness, team-based leadership challenges and more.”
This year, Chanhassen had two first-place teams: one in medical innovation and another in public health. The medical innovation team designed a product to relieve migraines, while the public health group developed a campaign around this year’s theme: “Food Wars: Battling Big Soda and Ultra-Processed Food.”
In all, 19 Chanhassen students placed in the top ten across a wide range of events. Several students placed in multiple categories. Top-placing students included:
- First Place – Medical Innovation: Maddie Aulizia, Gabby Goin, Celia Biesterfeld
- First Place – Public Health: Michelle Hjermstad, Nancy Nguyen
- Second Place – Public Service Announcement: London Thiele, Maddie Aulizia
- Third Place – Medical Innovation: Nancy Nguyen, Michelle Hjermstad
- Fourth Place – Health Career Display: ZamZam Hussein, Sumayah Omar
- Fourth Place – Health Education: Saliena Asano, Sumayah Omar
- Fourth Place – Human Growth & Development: Alyssa Poisson
- Fourth Place – Pharmacy Science: Nawal Hussein
- Fifth Place – Creative Problem Solving: Gabby Goin, Celia Biesterfeld, Maddie Aulizia
- Fifth and Sixth Place – Respiratory Therapy: Fadumo Omar, ZamZam Hussein
- Sixth Place – Sports Medicine: Makenna Raciusa
- Sixth Place – World Health & Disparities: Fadumo Omar
- Seventh and Eight Place – Nursing Assisting: Alyssa Poisson, Abby Lane
- Eighth Place – Research Poster: Lynnea Robideau
- Ninth Place – Creative Problem Solving: Ellie Jacobs, Sofia Erickson, Eddie Cristofono, Bella White
- Ninth Place – Medical Spelling: Gianna Franklin
- 10th Place – Phlebotomy: Miles Gray
For students, the experience went beyond competition.
“Being surrounded by many talented students from other schools encouraged me to challenge myself and grow as a HOSA officer,” said Michelle Hjermstad.
“It was motivating to see how passionate and dedicated other students were about healthcare,” said Nawal Hussein. “Mid-Winter helped me better understand what pursuing a career in healthcare actually looks like.”
The Chanhassen HOSA leadership team organizes regular practice opportunities, allowing students to work on their skills throughout the school year.
“It’s a student-led organization, so we’ve built event prep time into our monthly schedule,” Leatham said. “The leaders are also planning to build more skills practice into our meetings to help our members feel more comfortable with trying out the skill events.”
“Our Mid-Winter conferences, just like our other events offered throughout the year, help students connect classroom learning to real-world healthcare careers through competition, hands-on skill building, and leadership development,” said Summer Hagy, Director of Minnesota HOSA. “Students from Chanhassen reflect HOSA’s mission in action as they build the skills necessary to step into the future workforce with purpose.”
Students who placed in the top three will move on to the MN HOSA State Leadership Conference in March. Those who qualify at state will advance to the International Leadership Conference in Indianapolis this June.
