MHS Brings Home Health-career Gold
June was a healthy month for the health-career students from Mililani High School.
The school’s Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) chapter earned several medals and honors from the stiff national competition June 19-23 in Orlando, Fla., plus more still for Trojan alumni.
“They did extremely well this year,” said adviser Candace Chun, “and this reflects a 65-percent success rate for MHS students at the secondary level.” Chun teaches Health Pathway classes at Mililani, and HOSA activities reinforce what her students are learning about caring for others professionally and improving the quality of care for all people.
Top Trojan winners at HOSA include students Melanie Pacpaco and Jacqueline Fry’s Career Health Display (gold medal); and Teri Kawasaki’s Clinical Speciality-ophthalmologist (bronze); and MHS alumni Jenna Maligro and Shanyn Chung as Health Education Team members (gold), Carianne Matsuo for Extemporaneous Writing (gold) and Dayton Hamamoto for Concepts of Health Care Knowledge Test (bronze). A team from Leilehua High School also won a certificate of merit for its national service project.
Brianna Daranciang was named Outstanding State Leader, Kylee Ann Enoki earned National Recognition, Barbara James won the Presidential Service award, and eight Trojans were recognized for hundreds of hours of service.
An award-winning teacher herself, Chun pointed out that HOSA brings students into adult jobs and responsibilities. Eleven present and former MHS students won paid internships at local hospitals of Hawaii Pacific Health this summer, and three alumnae are working full time at HPH hospitals. Two Leilehua students and one alumnus also are interning.
