Exploring the Country with HOSA
As I woke up on June 24th, the sky was clear, the birds were chirping, and my mind was ready for the first day at the NLC. I prepared to head out of my hotel room and to stop by the ground floor Starbucks when I casually glanced down at my phone for the time.
“No way,” I whispered under my breath. It was 4:47 am.
Of course, I would wake up four hours earlier than I originally intended. However, to put matters in a logical perspective, 4:47 am in Anaheim, CA, is equivalent to 7:47 am in Delaware, my home state.
I think the only uncontrollable aspect I dislike more than adjusting to time change is not being able to explore different parts of the country. As much as I love the East Coast, I always want to know more about what’s out there in states hundreds of miles away from mine own. Fortunately, my week at the 2015 HOSA NLC gave me the opportunity to do just that!
Prior to attending the NLC, I had minimal experience with networking with students outside of my state. However, upon my arrival at Anaheim I quickly learned that the only thing crazier than a hotel full of 8,000+ teenagers is the heated hunt for a rare Canada pin. Maybe I went a little overboard collecting twenty seven state pins on the first day, but really, where else would I get the same opportunity other than at the NLC?
Once, while on the elevator, I met HOSA members from Hawaii, Alabama, Texas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania all in the same ride. My chances of exploration went from restricted to limitless in a single day.
I had never seen a more diverse community. Regardless of gender, race, location, and socioeconomic status, every person I met was inclusive and welcoming.
The night I had my interview for my competitive event, I sat between a young woman from Ohio and a young man from Tennessee. Clearly we were all there to win, but beneath that underlying desire to beat each other was the innate inclination to form friendships. As we sat there nervous for our event, we shared small details about our states, from the agriculture to the schools. Ultimately I didn’t just learn about how beautiful Ohio and Tennessee are, but about how to expand the viewpoint of my world.
I can now happily say that I have HOSA friends from all over the country. In fact, I’ll probably soon be going to college with some of these people! I am so grateful for the opportunity HOSA has given me to form lasting friendships with some of the best students in the country.
Emily Lee, Delaware HOSA
