Mililani High Team Wins National HOSA Honors
Rejoicing national champions from Mililani High School’s delegation to the recent HOSA-Future Health Professionals’ conference in Orlando are (from left, group with No. 1 salute) Fejiereich Luz Lopez, Mason Matsuo and Chasidee delaCuesta-Batara. Photo from Candace Chun.
Health careers are hot stuff these days, and Mililani High’s team proved it by walking off with medals and honors June 25-28 at the national conference of Future Health Professionals in Orlando, Florida.
Now in its 37th year of building leadership among high school and college youths through HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), the event awarded first place in the secondary division to Mililani’s health education team and named Trojan Mart Joshua Lopez the state’s first national HOSA officer (also the first for any Career Technical Student Organization in state history).
Lopez, who aspires to be a medical malpractice litigator, learned of his selection as Region 1 vice president of the HOSA executive council after a grueling process of tests, interviews, delegate questions and a speech. According to Mililani High School teacher and past adviser Candace Chun, there were 33 applicants for office and only seven survived to the end. Lopez is in training to plan and execute future conferences with fellow officers.
Fejiereich Luz Lopez, Mason Matsuo and Chasidee delaCuesta-Batara — all graduating seniors like Mart Joshua Lopez — made up the Trojan health education team, which was part of a delegation of 13 from the school. Their project was “Backpacks: A Heavy Load.” They explained the physical effects of such hefty loads on one’s health and taught their peers how to avoid the carrying hazards. They also prepared a portfolio and did a presentation to judges at the state and national competitions.
Fejiereich Lopez wants to be a nurse, delaCuesta-Batara a pediatrician and Matsuo a pharmacist.
In a surprise for Chun, the conference honored her with the Outstanding Service Award for HOSA Secondary Chapter advisers, which came with a very healthy $2,000 cash prize.
