Students in the Baylor College of Medicine Biotech Academy at Rusk (BCMBAR) HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) chapter competed at the 2022 HOSA Future Health Professionals International Leadership Conference and won high awards. During the conference that took place June 22-26 in Nashville, Tennessee, 30 students from the BCMBAR HOSA chapter competed against more than 10,000 students from around the world in a variety of medically themed topics.

Lucille Lopez was awarded first place in Medical Reading. Ri’Hale Mallett was awarded third place in Speaking Skills. Rahmatoulie Loppy and Azeez Bello were awarded third place in Health Career Display. 

The following students were top ten finalists in their category: Arturo Guajardo and Antonio Salazar in Exploring Medical Innovation; Emily Castillo, Eliza Hernandez, Naomi Robins, and Jacob Thompson in Dynamic Decisions; Maria Clara de Aguiar Sampaio in Health Career Exploration; and Matthew Garcia in Healthy Lifestyle.

“We are proud of the efforts of all our HOSA students,” said Katherine Harris, BCMBAR STEM Specialist. “They represented the school, Houston Independent School District, and the State of Texas so well.”

In April 2022, the BCMBAR HOSA chapter competed in the 2022 Texas HOSA State Leadership Conference, where 31 students qualified to attend the International Leadership Conference. 

Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Rusk is the only middle school campus in Houston ISD to have a HOSA CTSO chapter, and it is the largest student organization on campus. HOSA gives students unique opportunities to network with industry partners, build leadership skills, and gain motivation to become future leaders in health and medicine.