Yvette Sowka brought a state championship home after competing in the HOSA State Leadership Conference in Springfield.

Sowka took first place in Clinical Laboratory Science thanks to a lot of dedication and help from Krista Glosson, one of the healthcare career pathway teachers.

HOSA has really helped Sowka spark her interest in the medical field.

“HOSA helped me look deeper into what I have to know, if it’s a future job, and what I have to be able to do and perform,” she said.

HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) is an international career and technical student organization (CTSO) which Glosson refers to as a “varsity sport” for many healthcare-minded students.

”I think of it as a varsity sport for students who want to become doctors, nurses, researchers, or any other healthcare professional,” she said. “We try to support students in learning about whatever career they choose to compete in.”

Glosson said the club had about 70 Elk Grove students sign up to compete this year. She said she dedicates her time with several of her students to work on basic skills that are required in the medical field.

“We have worked on basic skills such as taping injuries, CPR, patient transfers, blood typing, and vision assessments among others,” Glosson said. “Some students have worked on speaking skills by running presentations on various events or presenting their own speech.”

Glosson said she hopes that her students — like Sowka — will take away the skills they learned into their future careers.

“I hope that students will meet new people with common interests and build skills that will help them feel confident as their pursue their goals in health care,” she said.