UTSA future health professionals chapter captures second place at national leadership conference

UTSA HOSA team

Pictured left to right in back: Melson Mesmin, Suma Ganji, Oscar Tu. In front is Jomari Guerrero.

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(July 27, 2015) -- Three students in the UTSA student chapter of the HOSA: Future Health Professionals organization recently captured second place medals at the National Leadership Conference held in Anaheim, Calif.

The UTSA students, Melson Mesmin, Suma Ganji, Oscar Tu and Jomari Guerrero were among more than 8,500 delegates representing universities from all across the nation. Guerrero, the UTSA chapter president and Texas’s post-secondary collegiate vice-president, did not compete but provided mentoring and support for the trio.

Students in HOSA can compete in various categories including medical skills, parliamentary procedure, creative problem solving and public service announcements. The UTSA HOSA delegates competed in the HOSA Bowl, a competition that consists of a series of questions related to medicine, health care, and the history of HOSA that student teams answer.

The UTSA chapter, in its inaugural year, was established by science majors Chirag Buch and Pavela Bambekova. UTSA College of Sciences Senior Associate Dean Craig Jordan served as faculty advisor.

The organization was founded after Buch and Bambekova had been members during their time at Health Careers High School in San Antonio and realized that UTSA, unlike other big universities across the country, did not have a chapter.

“Our chapter now has more than 30 members and most of them already have experience competing for their high schools,” said Bambekova. “Students test their potential by putting their knowledge and skills forward to ultimately see how much they have mastered. We are now seeing the successful accomplishments as a result of our members’ hard work.”

Bambekova says membership offers potential for personal identity formation and the development of a strong social network and interpersonal skills. She hopes to see the organization grow, receive financial support from sponsors, and more and more members compete at future competitions.

Next year, the conference will take on an international flavor with additional competitors representing Canada, Mexico and Italy.

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