Arthur Keiser, Ph.D and Belinda Keiser are proud to highlight students from Keiser University (KU) campuses who competed in the HOSA – Future Health Professionals State Competition and will be advancing to the National Conference being held in Anaheim California. The conference attracted over 3,000 middle, high school, and college students to the competition this year with over 70 competitive events.

From the Port St. Lucie campus, Lala Stollar, a Medical Assisting major, earned 1st place in medical photography where she took photographs of individuals in various medical settings and wrote papers about each photo and her creative process. Nicole Klein, a Psychology major, earned 2nd place in Researched Persuasive Speaking where she delivered a speech and submitted a paper; she also attended the National Conference last year on behalf of KU West Palm Beach. Francesca Maglione, a Dietetics & Nutrition major, earned 1st place in her Knowledge Test on Nutrition and Elizabeth Roper, a Medical Assisting major, earned 1st place in her Extemporaneous Health Poster event. Roper had three hours to create an original poster illustrating an important medical topic. West Palm Beach student, Angelica Jaramillo, a General Studies major, placed 2nd in Medical Photography at the conference and will be attending the National Conference. Alyssa Smoke, a Medical Assisting major, competed well but was not eligible for the National Competition. Many of these Keiser University students placed higher than students in other flagship universities across the state.

“Keiser University was founded on the ‘students first’ philosophy so being able to nurture and encourage their educational experience in a competitive environment such as this is inspiring,” said Belinda Keiser, Vice Chancellor of Community Relations and Student Advancement. “There are over 70,000 students nationwide enrolled in HOSA and Florida has the second highest membership in the country. The dedication and hard work of these students and their supporting faculty is amazing.”

HOSA is a national student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Education Division of the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).  The goal of this organization is “to promote career opportunities in the health care industry and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people.”

“We continue to see our students thrive during this competition and are pleased to see them achieve recognition for their academic efforts,” shared James Van Allan, Board of Directors member for Region IX and KU faculty member.  Florida HOSA boasts the 2nd largest membership in the nation at over 13,500 members spread across 12 regions of Florida.

HOSA April 2015 (2)