Junior Violet Mossman placed first in the Sports Medicine event at the HOSA Future Health Professionals 2024 State Leadership Conference this week.

“I finished feeling very unsure about most of my answers and didn’t expect to even place,” she said. “When I was announced as the first-place winner I was very shocked.”

Mossman joined HOSA–Future Health Professionals during her sophomore year because she wants to pursue a career in the medical field, and “it seemed like something that would provide me exposure to the field,” she said.

Competing in the state competition requires a high level of dedication, and Mossman has been preparing for several years.

She ordered the recommended books for her event through the school’s library and would read a few pages whenever she had time, but being a student athletic trainer for the last three years gave her an advantage over her competitors. Coaches Alika Asing, Erin Barnett, Rachel Jordan, and Larissa Nakamitsu were her mentors.

“Overall, I credit the Kamehameha athletic trainers for my understanding of sports medicine. I don’t believe I would have made it far without them, and I am extremely grateful for all of them,” Mossman said.

Upon completing the 50-question quiz in the first round, Mossman advanced to the second round, where she was required to deonstrate a skill based on a prompt from the judges. Her prompt was hand and wrist taping.

“To help me prepare [the KSM athletic trainers] would quiz me on different sports medicine topics and taught me all the taping and wrapping skills I know,” she said.

Aside from being in HOSA and helping in Athletics as an athletic trainer, Mossman has also interned with a pediatric dentist’s office.

“Working closely with the doctor, I learned about dental hygiene and what it’s like to run an independent medical practice,” she said.

The HOSA Future Health Professionals 2024 State Leadership Conference was held on Oʻahu at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, Monday and Tuesday, January 29-30. Mossman and 14 other haumāna made the trip, 10 of them placing within the top three positions in various categories of competition.

Students qualified for the state competition by placing well in regionals.

“If a competitor puts a lot of time, effort, focused practice, and response to feedback into their event preparation, then they will get a lot out of the experience – even if there is no medal awarded in the end,” said Dr. Brooke Holderbaum, dean of students and HOSA adviser.

Ms. Malia Panglao also advises the club, and lab specialist Mr. David Takahama accompanied the team on their visit.

The trip was about more than competition.

After the students competed and presented, they attended workshops where healthcare professionals presented about a variety of topics. That night, all the students participated in a dance, and the next morning was the awards ceremony.

First-place recipients were awarded with a gold medal, second with a silver, and third with a bronze. All winning haumāna were recognized during an awards session and photographed on stage.

The following KS Maui students placed in the top three in their categories:

• Violet Mossman, first place, Sports Medicine
• Jacob Poʻouahi, first place, Prepared Speaking
• Jessica Kamala, second place, Prepared Speaking
• Anela Awai-Stewart and Josie Vierra-Naleieha, third place, Health Career Display
• Aubrie Manlansing, Avery Pendergraft, Kealaula Macanas, Malia Kim, Meleannah Felicilda, third place, Public Health

Other competitors were Allie Kennedy and Shaila Robello-Delima (Health Career Display, Dermatology), Layla Racadio (Health Informatics), Chloe Ventura (Cultural Diversities and Disparities in Healthcare)

“I was pleasantly surprised at our overall performance this year,” Dr. Holderbaum said. “Our competitors were not all at their best on the day of the events, but they managed to give what they had on that day, and it was enough for us to earn several medals. All of them should be recognized for their hard work and representing Kamehameha Schools Maui well.”

After the conference was over and the awards were handed out, students visited the University of Hawaiʻi, John A Burns School of Medicine to get a sense of what it’s like to be a physician in Hawaiʻi by speaking to a kanaka healthcare professional and KS alumni in the program.

They learned that “there is a dire need for Native Hawaiian physicians and that not all doctors were top students who went to top colleges … regular people can get into medical school and…there are many paths to a career in medicine,” Dr. Holderbaum said.

At JABSOM, the Warriors put on white doctors’ jackets, practiced monitoring vital signs, and performed CPR on a simulated robot patient.

HOSA Future Health Professionals is a Career Technical Student Organization for students interested in pursuing a future in health and medicine. For 20 years, Hawaiʻi has been involved in HOSA, and KS Maui was the first private school to join the organization.

Under the leadership of juniors Awai-Stewart and Vierra-Naleieha, the club overcame a challenging schedule to make it to the competition. While HOSA chapters are designed to be a class, it is structured as a club at KSM, leaving both Kula Uka and Kula Kai students little time to meet. They carve out time in the half hour before school starts and in the short lunch periods, with high school students dashing up and down the stairs to get to and from meetings.

Dr. Holderbaum said that the adversity is still worth the immense benefits of membership. HOSA has helped KS Maui students to gain exposure to job-related skills, worksites, and local people who serve as valuable role models and mentors.

HOSA is not just for “smart kids,” Dr. Holderbaum said, and she invites anyone interested to stop by her office on the top floor of Kekaulike (the ma kai academy building) to talk story or to visit www.hosa.org for more information.

“Personal experiences, strong desire to serve, passion for wellness, and eagerness to connect with other humans often drive our members to want to contribute to the health of our lāhui and motivate them to push through challenges,” she said. “It is for any young person who has a pull in their naʻau and finds joy in helping others to get well and be healthy. … There is truly something for everyone in HOSA.”