Last month, Townsend Harris’s HOSA chapter competed at the 2026 Spring Leadership Conference (SLC) for students interested in pursuing healthcare careers, winning 11 medals and two recognition awards. Members who placed in the top three will move on to compete at the International Leadership Conference in Indianapolis on June 17. This was the chapter’s first time competing at this conference.
“The fact that we have earned over 12 awards in our first year of competition…is a testament to how hard-working our team has been,” captain of Health Professions Ethmi Uyanwatte said.
Junior and silver medalist Maggie Liu, who competed in Health Career Display with junior Selina Zheng, described the energetic moment when their names appeared in front of the crowd. “When it came to our event, my heart dropped to my stomach,” Maggie said. “I was in disbelief. I remember that my hands were shaking and I was screaming to Selina that we won.”
Sharing a similar sense of anxiety, junior Melissa Lai, who won gold and bronze for Dental Terminology and Dental Science, respectively, said, “though competing and preparing for events was daunting, I think that afterwards everyone was really glad to be there.”
Melissa noted that while she felt confident, the win was still a huge relief. “I was really happy when I found out I won,” she said. “I was really happy that my hard work paid off.”
Aside from awards, HOSA members described their experience at SLC to be enjoyable and beneficial to their aspiring careers in medicine.
Sophomore Hifsa Khan, who won three gold medals, said, “My experience at SLC was very memorable. It felt good to be in a professional environment, and I could feel my independence and confidence growing in ways I did not expect.”
“SLC was really fun,” Melissa said, sharing the sentiment. “It was really fun going to different workshops that showed high tech medical technology and talking to people about possible future opportunities in medicine.”
Behind the scenes, the tournament was defined by the effort and dedication of the competitors.
After months of planning, Ethmi said, “having real enthusiasm and a true desire to learn and understand the material of the competition, putting aside the mentality of simply trying to win a medal, will always be valuable.”
However, Ethmi noted that as a newly established HOSA chapter, the year did not come without financial challenges. Study resources, bus fees, and hotel reservations were among those concerns.
Junior Fiona Chang, who placed silver in Clinical Nursing, said, “it was also really hard to study because there [was] barely any material sometimes.”
The HOSA board conducted bake sales, fundraisers, and worked alongside the student union to manage costs. “We have been able to raise approximately $1,400 and this has certainly allowed us to decrease the burden of the costs to an extent,” Ethmi said.
Staff have been helping lift some of the financial burden off the students in HOSA by finding alternative ways to find the new team.
Assistant Principal of STEM Abid Choudhury said he plans to take steps to solve these issues next year. “In the future we hope to look at other funding sources like perhaps the SU or PTA or Alumni Association or other routes that we can explore, but currently [paid HOSA expenses] primarily through fundraising,” he said.
Ethmi said, “Through consistent communication with our advisors, chaperones, and Mr. Choudhury, we were able to successfully navigate through roadblocks and meet every deadline that was set for us and the competitors.”
“Awards aside, just taking the initiative to get this started and facilitating a whole new academic team is a challenge, and they’ve done it admirably,” Mr. Choudhury said. “Obviously, it’s come with its hiccups and growing pains, but I think overall they’ve done a really good job”
“Award ceremonies can either end up in cheering or crying, but even if you don’t leave with a medal, it’s important to stay present and appreciate the experience and memories you gained,” said junior Saniha Jasrah, captain of emergency preparedness.
