By DIANA ZHANG
Staff Writer
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, by 2017, there will be a 30 percent increase in enrollment in U.S. medical schools. If so many students wish to be a part of the medical field, why not start early in high school? The Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Club at University High School (UHS) offers students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the medical field before studying and pursuing an occupation in it.
Shivani Lamba (So.) and Tanmayi Vashist (Jr.) founded the UHS HOSA chapter because they saw that many students at UHS want to join the medical field, but do not know how to.  Lamba said, “I heard about other schools having the organization integrated into their health curriculum and really wanted to be a part of something that I wanted to pursue in the future, so Tanmayi and I decided to start it as a club at our school, so anybody can join.”
The HOSA Club offers a variety of competitive and community service events that allow members to engage in medical-related activities. The affiliates of the club will compete in over 40 events such as sports medicine, forensic science, biomedical laboratory science, CPR/first aid, Emergency Response skills and much more at the State Leadership Conference in Sacramento from March 26-29 and the National Leadership Conference in June. Awards for these competitions include eligibility for scholarships and other academic acknowledgements and awards. The HOSA club also offers community service hours as it is currently fundraising to raise awareness towards the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.
Kian Abolhoda (Jr.), the club’s fundraising chair, said, “I joined HOSA because I really want to be a doctor later on in life. I felt that this club would be able to help me with this because it is after all a medicine related club and it actually may give me a head start on education in this field. I truly believe that there are many students at our school who share my similar passions that should join too!”
Not only does this club give students the opportunity to enroll in numerous hands-on events and compete in different health science related fields, but it also provides the chance for students to develop leadership skills and meet new people with similar interests and passions as themselves. The club’s historian, Erica Zhong (Jr.) says, “This is really a good way for students to learn valuable life skills such as leadership, teamwork and effective communication. They will get to be surrounded by students with the same interests and maybe will form lasting friends.”
Likewise, Nima Mozhgani (Jr.) the club’s treasurer said, “We are starting to schedule fundraising and community service events. These events are super interactive and really fun, such as yoga and Zumba, so come and join!”
The HOSA Club welcomes all students to its meetings, especially ones with an interest in the health science fields. The club meets every Tuesday in Mr. Geoff Gilpin’s (Math Dept.) room (room 310).