Expanding my HOSA World

I didn’t know what to feel as the National Leadership Conference approached last spring. I fig-ured I should be excited, but beyond that, I wasn’t so sure. When in doubt, my friend Piyush Puri was always there to remind me, “I’m so excited for you. Attending your first NLC will make you fall in love with HOSA all over again.” Little did I know then, but Piyush could not have been more right.

As I walked into the Opening Ceremony, my heart skipped a beat, and then another beat. It was as if I had walked into “coolest party on the block.” I ran to the NJ HOSA area which seemed like one big extravaganza. It was just awesome to see fellow HOSA members cheering as if the night would never end. Quickly ushered into my seat, I knew I’d lose my voice from cheering. The Opening Ceremony simply blew me away. There was a sense of euphoric passion in the entire room. People were cheering for HOSA and waving their spirit items to the sound of loud music. It was fascinating to see HOSA members from all over the country, and even all over the world, express the same passion for HOSA as me. Every part of the opening ceremony made me want to get on top of my chair and scream, “Yay for HOSA!!!” I was mind blown when National HOSA announced the steep increases in membership across all the state associations. The one moment that took my breath away was when National HOSA announced that HOSA was expanding internationally in Mexico and Italy. It was beyond amazing to see the gift of HO-SA being spread overseas. I realized there is a future where HOSA is in every nook and cranny of the world, and that The Future Starts Now with us.

That future started the very next day for me as I was busy exchanging state pins with my friend Kelechi. We each had ten NJ HOSA pins, which were a hot commodity at the National Leadership Conference. I saw this as ten opportunities to meet new HOSA members and share in their NLC experience. People were scouring for the NJ HOSA pin, the “infamous” robot. As I was walking toward savory quesadillas awaiting me at the market, two HOSA members came up to me. They didn’t seem to speak a whole lot of English, but they pointed to an island on their phone maps and said “Nosotros somos de Puerto Rico.” I was taken aback. Just the thought that HOSA had spread to Puerto Rico was news to me twelve hours ago, and now two Puerto Rican HOSA members were standing in front of me. I thought it was the coolest thing that they came to an entirely different country to develop their passion of becoming a healthcare professional. I made sure to capture this moment, and share it with the Puerto Rico HOSA President Santiago Emmanuel at the Washington Leadership Academy that same fall.

Now, a year later, I am proud to say one of my closest HOSA friends lives in Puerto Ri-co, a place I didn’t expect to have HOSA just a year ago. Looking back, I don’t exactly under-stand why I was so surprised to find there is HOSA in Puerto Rico. HOSA is an amazing organi-zation, and it really is no surprise that people all around the world want to be a part of it. As the National Leadership Conference 2015 approaches, I am simply counting the days till I can ac-complish the goal I set for this NLC: to meet Italy and Mexico HOSA members.

Akshar Patel, NJ HOSA