Sophie Kovar is a Junior who has been involved in HOSA since her sophomore year. She is the Vice President of communications and encourages anyone to join who expresses some interest in the medical field or in growing their leadership. 

“HOSA is a club devoted to students who are interested in a career in the medical field, or who just want to become a better leader. Our goal for HOSA is to help even those with a quieter voice and take control of their future; especially, if they are interested in the medical field, we specify that. We strive for innovation, and to find new learning opportunities. It was established my sophomore year, in November 2018, which on the brink of everything, it was a little bit cluttered at first. It has grown a lot, as we went from 30 members to 50 in only a year. Hopefully, next year it will grow even more, and increase that number by a landslide. Mrs. Tupper is the advisor of our chapter. I got involved in HOSA because I have always been fascinated by these kinds of things. I always had an interest in that specific field. For a while, it was Forensics that I wanted to get involved in, but then when I joined HOSA, I found my love for all the different career choices, and now I am leaning towards becoming a surgeon. I am open to any type, other than trauma, though. We have conferences, which is similar to DECA, and they are like competitions. Our events lean more towards the healthcare field. SLC is the state conference, and it is the second round, which if you qualify from the first round which is held at LP, which is an online version, then you go to the state level, and then the International level. Last year it was in Florida, and this year it was supposed to be in Houston, Texas, but now they are doing it virtually due to COVID-19.  I am the Vice President of Communications, and the upcoming year, my senior year, will be my third year with the position. There is lots of room to grow, and next year we are hoping to bring more leadership opportunities for our members; especially, those who join. We have not established them, because our chapter is so small. Almost anyone can get involved in HOSA. We actually have lots of 8th graders who are interested, and they are coming in next year. You can be in any grade, and you don’t even have to be interested in pursuing a career in the medical field, you can just be interested in being a leader. I would encourage anyone to try the club out. You would be surprised at how much you learn. I have learned so much about myself from participating in this club. We have public speaking events, and an overview of everything necessary for the workplace, even though it specializes in the workplace.

People can get involved in HOSA in many ways. We do a lot. We do fundraising. The best time to join is at the beginning of the year. At the beginning of the year we don’t have a lot going on, but as soon as November hits, it’s crazy. That is when we start preparation for state, and making sure everyone is on track. People can get involved in HOSA even if they do not want to compete, since there is volunteering available for our tables that we sometimes have. Last year we held a penny war for Cystic Fibrosis, and this year we did a lot for the blood drive. Whether it is competing or volunteering, you can definitely get involved. Even just showing up to the meetings and workshops; we had a CPR workshop last December. Please do not hesitate to ask about HOSA, join if you are interested, or even just come to our meetings. We love to have new people. Our instagram is @lphs.hosa. You can definitely contact some of the other officers and I. You can reach out to Mikayla Boles, Katie Nalley. Elizabeth Demuth, Lizzie Ausmus, Mrs. Tupper and me. We hope to see lots of more faces.”