115 South Dakota HOSA Students Represent the State at Largest International Leadership Conference to Date
Participation in the HOSA ILC allows members to expand health care knowledge, hone their leadership skills and connect with other HOSA members across the world. This year, qualifying South Dakota HOSA members competed in events and attended workshops, general sessions and meetings. Through interaction with thousands of international participants and successful participation in a wide range of competitive events, South Dakota HOSA made its mark on the conference.
“The pinnacle of the HOSA journey is representing your state at the annual ILC,” said Brock Rops, executive director of South Dakota HOSA. “We continue to stress the importance of finding joy in the journey, encouraging students to learn more from the ‘means to the end’ as opposed to just the end. Finish with a gold medal is such a rewarding experience, however, the learning that goes on via the process of competition is what is so much more important.”
For Mazzi Moore, current South Dakota HOSA president, this was her third time attending the ILC. “I’ve been blessed to have such wonderful mentors who have helped me hone my interest in biotechnology,” she said. “Every year I have improved on my skill and this year I was able to be the ILC runner-up in biotechnology. There is such a sense of pride when you are on that award stand in front of 11,500 competitors.”
The South Dakota HOSA students finishing in the top 10 in competitive events include the following.
- Mazzi Moore, Brandon Valley: 2nd place-biotechnology
- Amber Pisano, Bon Homme: 7th place-personal care
- Prithvi Patthi, Dakota Valley: 9th place-pharmacy science
South Dakota HOSA had 27 students qualify for Round 2.
Overall, South Dakota dared to create competitive success, health care knowledge and social fun at this year’s HOSA ILC by taking advantage of every opportunity. Next year’s HOSA ILC will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 18-21, 2025.
For more information, visit sdhosa.org.
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