Students have an unforgettable experience at HOSA SLC

HOSA Canada's 11th annual competition, coined the Spring Leadership Conference (SLC), lasted from March 9-11, stretching to three days for the first time in the organization's history. Student competitors made their way to the Toronto Metro Convention Centre and stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel during the event. The expanded format gave event coordinators more time for over 7,000 students to compete in a range of competitive events and workshops.

Ravleen Bagri described the event as a rewarding experience while working with peers to raise awareness around "stigmatized" health topics, which felt meaningful. Bagri spoke warmly about the conference, saying it was "really fun and wholesome since we got to meet people from other schools in the same event." She added that each year, HOSA makes her more interested in pursuing a career in health care.

For Aditya Rath, the competition was his alarm for growth regardless of where anyone placed. Rath acknowledged that "very few people this year placed in the top 10," being motivated to prepare more for next year.

To many HOSA members, this is a club about supporting each other through the bad and good, to have a great time, and do great things. Astitv Chhabra acknowledges this, admitting that the group spent lots of time bonding over studying. Chhabra described Toronto as an energetic and vibrant city, and said the food, sights, and people they encountered throughout the trip made everything worth it. Joining HOSA earlier this year, he believes competitive travel opens up a kind of learning that classrooms rarely offer.

One of HOSA's few 2nd round qualifiers, Arpit Kumar, touched on the more demanding side of the event, describing it as "nerve-wracking when you actually perform better than expected." Kumar pointed to HOSA Canada's failure to provide enough materials for testing events. With his expertise, he recommends getting a textbook to succeed in any testing category in the future.