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In it to win it
In It to Win It
NE Academy Students to Participate in International Health Occupations Competition
Unlike most teenagers, a group of students from Northeast Academy are not just bashing under the sun during this summer. They are getting together at school, practicing, and studying for a major competition: the 41stAnnual International Leadership Conference (ILC), which will be held in Dallas from June 27 until July 1st.
Over 400 students from middle school, high school, and tech centers will be participating in the competition, which is part of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA)—the largest national career and technical student organization that focuses on developing leadership skills and preparing students for their future professional careers in the healthcare field. Categories for the competition will include medical terminology, parliamentary procedures, public speaking skills, healthy living, health career boards, and more.
The journey up until the ILC competition began last year, when students attended the 2017 October Leadership Conference. From there, students prepared for April’s Oklahoma State Competition for Leadership in HOSA, where many of them won first and second place. Now, the Northeast Vikings will be representing the state of Oklahoma alongside students from other schools in the state, all with one main goal in mind: winning.
“These students have worked so hard to get here and they are already winners just for attending the ILC competition,” said Lulla Wilson, Northeast Academy CTE STEM teacher and HOSA advisor. “At the state competition we had first place winners and top ten finalists and that is an accomplishment beyond what I can begin to dream of for my students,” she said.
Ms. Wilson, a seven year instructor at Northeast Academy and 35 year OKCPS teacher, has a passion for the healthcare field herself. She was the first African American to obtain an Associate’s degree in nursing from OU. She also attended UCO and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in vocational education and a Master’s degree in Science Education.
For her, this competition represents much more than a prize. “ILC is not just about learning about different careers in the healthcare field,” she said. “It is about teaching students leadership skills, learning how to interact with different people and helping them become committed professionals in the health science and healthcare field. This is also a great opportunity that our students have to network with people from all over the world who work in health sciences.”
Ms. Wilson’s passion for health sciences is already being reflected in some of her pupils. Haley Maxey, an 8thgrader who will be competing in the ILC’s health career boards category, has been a part of HOSA for the past three years. For the fifteen year old, her interest in the medical field began when she was a toddler and her dad, who at the time was studying to become a paramedic, read medical books with her. When she first began attending Northeast Academy as a middle schooler, she met Ms. Wilson and began participating in the HOSA competitions.
“I got involved with these projects because HOSA can help me get into excellent medical schools and it because it gives so many scholarship opportunities,” said Hailey. “I want to become a pediatric neuro surgeon—I really like kids and I am also very interested in learning how the brain functions.”
Rhaigan Barnett, a 10thgrader who will be competing in the parliamentary procedures category, said that participating in these competitions has sparkled her interest in health careers. “With HOSA being an organization focused on health occupations, it has allowed me to learn about different careers in the area,” said Rhaigan. “I have many interests but I am considering becoming an OBGYN in the future,” she added.
For her, participating in HOSA’s ILC represents even more than an opportunity to learn about health science careers, obtaining scholarships, and even networking—it is about pride. “I feel proud to be representing Northeast Academy and the state of Oklahoma because there are not very many African American schools participating in the HOSA competition, so this is an opportunity for us to go out there and show them how talented we are.”
Sixth grader Isaiah Mucker, a first timer who will be competing in the health career board category, said that the road was not easy. “We had to stay many days after school and prepare for each competition,” said Mucker. “In my category, the first step was doing research to select a health career that interested me and my partner. We chose the neuro surgeon specialization and then began doing research on that profession. We worked on designing the board, making it, and then we began to study and memorize the information we have on the board and more. That was the hardest part,” he said.
One thing that all three students coincided on was that none of it would have been possible without the help and support from Ms. Wilson. “Ms. Wilson has been our advisor throughout all this project because she taught us what HOSA is about and how to prepare for the competition,” said Mucker.
“Ms. Wilson has provided a lot of help and she has pushed us to do hard work,” said Rhaigan Barnett. “At times it was somewhat frustrating but at the end of the day we realize that it actually helps us because she pushes us to do our absolute best,” she added.
Whether this extraordinary group of students obtains the first place or not, one thing is for sure: with Ms. Wilson’s passion and these young men and women’s talents and skills, we are sure that their future is bright. Their courage and dedication already makes each of them a winner.