Daily Updates - Wednesday

For previous other updates, use the following links:

Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Friday, June 25, 2004
Saturday, June 26, 2004

HOSA Healthcare Exhibition

The big day has finally arrived! The first official day of the 2004 National Leadership Conference is underway. Excitement is in the air, and you can feel the anticipation as each delegate awaits their competition and friends and family share in their experience.

The day begins with National Officer Candidate interviews from 8:00 AM – 1:30 PM. The nominating committee then prepares its report of candidates for the Voting Delegates.

Local advisors patiently wait to register with their state and ensure each delegate receives the necessary materials by the time orientations and tests begin.

Exhibitors arrive and fill the exhibition hall to promote careers in healthcare, publications, organizations and much more. Delegates enjoy meeting the representatives and learning about the needs of and opportunities in healthcare.

New Local and State Advisor Orientation

A number of advisors spend the afternoon in the New Local and State Advisor Orientation from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM which serves as an introduction to National Leadership Conference procedures.

The Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Issues Exam takes place from 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM, and the winner is announced at this evening’s Opening Session. And the competition has officially begun!

Orientations and Round One tests take place throughout the day for HOSA Bowl, Creative Problem Solving, Parliamentary Procedure and Medical Reading.

HOSA is very thankful to the delegates who have volunteered their time to serve as Courtesy Corps members. These representatives spend part of their afternoon in Flag and Opening Session Practice and are assigned duties for later in the evening. Each HOSA state has a representative to carry

Kaiser Permanente National Healthcare Issues Exam

their flag across the stage at the beginning of the Opening Session.

The Opening General Session begins with a bang as the HOSA delegates are welcomed to Orlando. Crowds cheer and express the pride they feel for their state and their own accomplishments. It’s truly a sight to be seen and the thrill of the National Leadership Conference has spread throughout the 4,800-person delegation.

Soon following the introduction of the 2003-04 National Executive Council, Adam Prim, National President, declares the 2004 NLC in session.

Amy Araya, Florida HOSA State President, and Lloyd DeVault, Florida HOSA State Advisor, represent the Florida Executive Council to welcome HOSA to Orlando.

Amy Araya, Florida HOSA President

It is an honor to welcome Judith Conlin, State Supervisor for Health Science Technology, from the Florida State Department of Education who offers a warm greeting on behalf of the state of Florida.

HOSA’s newest state association, Montana, is welcomed to the HOSA family and Angela Collins, Montana State Advisor and Shalei Habel, Montana’s State President, joins the National Executive Council on stage to accept their plaque and are honored to be HOSA’s newest edition.

Patricia Felder is introduced as Louisiana’s new State Advisor and is honored for bringing back Louisiana as a state association to HOSA.

The following states are recognized for a membership increase in the past year:

Washington
Idaho
Maine
Missouri
Nebraska
Arkansas
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Oklahoma
Mississippi
Virginia
Alabama
Tennessee
Puerto Rico
Kansas
Maryland
Montana
West Virginia
Georgia
Oregon
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Kentucky
Utah
Florida
North Carolina
Texas

The largest state association this year is Texas, with a record-breaking 13,016 members! Texas also takes home the award for largest delegation attending this year’s National Leadership Conference with 371 members and guests.

Other awards presented at the Opening General Session are as follows:

The 2004 Largest Secondary HOSA Chapter:
Cardinal Dougherty High School, Pennsylvania (262 members)

The 2004 Largest Postsecondary/Collegiate HOSA Chapter:
Manatee Technical Institute, Florida (212 members)

Outstanding Service Award:
Mr. Bill Davis, Tennessee

Honorary Life Membership:
Belinda Mahone
Immediate Past Chair, HOSA, Inc. Board of Directors

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

HOSA is honored to announce that, with the support of our partners, the scholarship program is offering over $40,000 in awards to scholarship applicants.

The HOSA Scholarship awards are presented to those members exhibiting outstanding academic achievement, leadership and community involvement. The following HOSA scholarship recipients receive $2000 to honor their achievements:

Jason Cohen, Utah
Karen Thudium, Pennsylvania
Crista Glover, Tennessee
Alisa Hewitt, North Carolina
Aveline Pascual, Texas

Catherine B. Junge Scholarship recognizes those members who maintain high academic standards, serve as leaders and are actively involved within the community. This award is given in honor of Catherine B. Junge by the Association of Career and Technical Education, and the recipients are given $250. The following HOSA members are awarded for their accomplishments:

Stephanie Michelle Kennedy, North Carolina
Michelle Pacovsky, Nebraska
Carl Shamburger, Jr., Alabama

Delmar Learning Scholarship for $1000 is presented by Marah Bellegarde to:

Farheen Quarashi, Texas

Hobsons, an internet college search engine, is a new partner with HOSA. The Hobsons Scholarship recipient receives $1000. The Hobsons Scholarship recipient is:

Jenna Stanley, Wisconsin

National Honor Roll, also a new partner of HOSA’s, is awarding a scholarship for an outstanding HOSA member for $1000. The scholarship recipient is:

Sarah Lee Sexton, Tennessee

National Technical Honor Society Scholarship Recipients

A recent partner with HOSA, The National Technical Honor Society presents a scholarship which celebrates two HOSA members and awards them each with $1000. The following HOSA members are honored for their accomplishments:

Delia Yvette Garcia, Texas
Katrina Yager, Florida

The Nursing Spectrum Scholarship rewards five accomplished HOSA members. Judith Mitiguy from Nursing Spectrum awards the scholarships to the following:

$1000
Linda Reich, Florida
Brooke Cody, Tennessee
Ruth Gebauer, Wisconsin
$1500
Katelyn Douglas, Arkansas
$2500
Todd Hansen, Florida

Who’s Who Scholarship Recipients

Jeffrey Fix from Who’s Who Among American High School Students generously presents two HOSA members a $2000 scholarship to:

Postsecondary/Collegiate:
Kim Dunlap, Montana

Secondary:
Comfort Elumongo, Pennsylvania

HOSA is pleased to announce scholarships from Johnson & Johnson and presents the following eight scholarships to HOSA members:

Campaign for Nursing’s Future Scholarship:
Deborah Creshaw-Larose, Wisconsin
Michelle Pacovsky, North Carolina

Travel Scholarships for HOSA Members:
Cortney Riley, Texas
Rebecca Hatch, Utah
Ashley Budek, Michigan
Aimee Tefft, South Carolina

HCA Scholarship Recipients

HCA – Hospital Corporation of America awards six $1000 scholarships to HOSA members in honor of Philip R. Patton, Senior Vice President of Human Resources. This scholarship is awarded to members who are pursuing a future in nursing or a hospital-related career. The following members receive this scholarship:

Shandra Knight, Colorado
Lena Marie Sebert, Kentucky
Jennifer Mendez, Florida
Rita Contreras, Texas
Kristen Odom, Georgia
Andrew Ross, West Virginia

AWARD RECIPIENTS

Kaiser Permanente Scholarship Recipients

Kaiser Permanente Outstanding Alumni Award is judged on activities on a local, regional, state and national level. The outstanding alumni is:

Richard Ernst, New Jersey

Inez Tenzer from Kaiser Permanente presents the $2000 award for the Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Issues Exam:

Postsecondary/Collegiate Division:
Randy Luttrell, California

Secondary Division:
William Reid-Varley, Texas

To conclude the session, Mark Scharenbroich, the keynote speaker, addresses the HOSA delegates and motivates each of them to celebrate and enjoy life. It is an excellent way to end the evening and begin a great conference.

The day is an overall success, and the Opening General Session has exceeded expectations and motivated competitors to accomplish their goals and excel at this year’s National Leadership Conference!