The St. Dominic chapter of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) was started just this past January, and they are already making a name for themselves both in the HOSA program as a whole and right here in the St. Dominic community.

HOSA was established in 1976 as an international program for high school students intending to pursue a career in the health sciences such as dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, veterinary medicine and many more. Out of 4,500 chapters, St. Dominic is one of the only Catholic schools in the country that is a part of this amazing program.

“My favorite thing about HOSA is how I get to experience and explore different fields of medicine and how it provides different opposites to do service projects and listen to medical professionals who are in that field,” freshman HOSA member Grace Illy said.

The St. Dominic chapter of HOSA is moderated by Dr. Deborah Ruscillo. Meetings are rigorously scheduled with many wonderful opportunities including guest speakers, activities, college program information and service hour opportunities. New chapters usually only get five or six members in their first year, but the Crusader’s HOSA is already 75 members strong.

“I was delighted and relieved at the same time—it was clear that our student body had a need for this kind of resource and we were able to provide it,” Dr. Ruscillo said.

St. Dominic has made a prominent presence on the HOSA stage. A team of four freshmen—Lexie Raft, Grace Illy, Ella Curtin and Addison Schmuke—qualified for the Spring Leadership Conference (SLC). The SLC sponsors competitions testing knowledge in the health sciences, including the HOSA Bowl which our Crusaders competed in. Competition success is valuable to college admission and scholarships.

The SLC participants were over 700 in number and their ages ranged from middle school to college students. Competing against seasoned juniors and seniors, our groups of freshmen were able to pull out a second place win in their event.

“The conference was surreal and such a great experience,” Schmuke said.

We’re so proud of our amazing Crusaders and can’t wait to see what the incredible HOSA club will do next!