Every two weeks, HOSA students like senior Paityn Reens, who is also treasurer of the club, attend a Zoom call to listen to a guest speaker tell them about their experiences in the medical field. These speakers tune in from anywhere across the country and from any area of expertise for FHC’s very own HOSA team.

These Zoom calls act as a Q&A for the HOSA team to dig deeper into their future professions and get someone’s real opinion—as opposed to asking Google. The club members can ask anything they want from “What was college like?” to “What does your job look like now?” Those who partake listen to these professionals’ expertise and think about if this is something they really want to pursue.

Paityn wants to go into psychology and possible Q&A’s with someone in the same profession can push her to work even harder for her dreams.

“I’m taking HOSA because of the different opportunities to get to know what that field is all about,” Paityn explained. “I haven’t heard any speeches in my field yet, but it has been really cool to hear about other professions that I don’t know much about.”

With a large team, HOSA needs to make sure that every field can be spoken for, but this can be very difficult. HOSA is all about learning as much as possible and understanding new fields in the medical world, so being able to attend all different kinds of speeches is vital to the members’ learning experience.

“I think [the speeches] give [the HOSA team] a better idea of what is out there and what options we have,” Paityn explained, “but also parts of the jobs that we might not know about if we just looked it up online.”

HOSA’s speeches are very informative and welcome growth in not only knowledge but also in the members’ dreams and ideas of their future. And while the speeches better the whole team, they also can better the individuals that are a part of it.

“[HOSA’s speeches have] helped me to expand my boundaries and give me something to learn more about,” Paityn said. “It makes me a more well-rounded person. Going into the healthcare field is really daunting, but to see these people who have made it work and have been successful is really inspiring.”

Not only do these speeches inspire the HOSA members to continue on their path to their chosen profession, but they also can share knowledge in a very personal way.

HOSA Social Media Manager junior Sharanya Pastapur’s favorite thing about being a part of the Zoom calls is being able to speak to someone with plenty of experience. While Google is a good source, face-to-face conversations can’t be beaten.

“By having the guest speakers, there is another level of relatability,” Sharanya said. “If you were to study for something, it is very different than actually experiencing it. Like [talking with someone about] how impactful COVID-19 has been and how much we don’t see of it.”

Sharanya has known people in the past that have taken these interactions to the next level; they are jumping on opportunities to pursue their dreams. After hearing these speeches, some past members have been inspired on many different levels to seek out things like internships instead of waiting for them.

Just like these past students, HOSA has taken initiative and the opportunity of COVID-19 to bring in more guest speakers than ever. Having more speakers than in previous years means more opportunities for students to be inspired and to take that initiative.

And from bringinHOSA together through Zoom calls, it has become easier for the board members to get in contact with more speakers than ever before. Speakers no longer have to drive all the way to FHC from where they live; they can stay in the comfort and safety of their own homes and bring the exact same levels of expertise.

“After listening to a speech, it’s very invigorating,” Sharanya said. “You can see how much [the speakers] are invested in their careers. They also took the time to come out and talk to these high school students which says a lot about the field in general.”

Sophomore Marissa Bertocchini enjoys attending as many Zoom meetings as she can, and she is almost always left in awe. The speakers that do take the time out of their day to talk to these students not only answer their questions but also inspire them to do their best and to continue on through the rough times.

“These speeches are a really good exposure experience,” Marissa said. “Personally, they just keep reminding me of how worth it everything is going to be—every time we have a speaker, they are so proud of everything that they have done and how far they’ve made it. They really remind me to keep going even when it gets hard; all of this is going to pay off in the end.”

Marissa recognizes hard work and perseverance are some of the main factors that need to be taken into account when achieving her dreams; these speakers have made sure to share the most inspiring moments of their lives with these students, reminding her of all the effort necessary but also the payoff. HOSA’s members are being inspired by every speech to go out into the world and attain their own dreams.

“I love getting to ask them questions,” Marissa said. “Everyone has different experiences. We get to hear about those genuine experiences that these doctors had in med school and are now going through. It’s really inspiring to know that I’m going to be able to get there someday—I am going to be able to achieve my dreams, just like [these speakers] did.”