Students recently had the opportunity to represent Tualatin High School at two major leadership events: Future Business Leaders of America State Business Leadership Conference (FBLA SBLC) and Health Occupations Students of America State Leadership Conference (HOSA SLC). These conferences brought together students from all over Oregon to compete, learn and grow in their fields. Both events showcased student dedication and achievement.
At HOSA SLC, which began on March 16, students had the opportunity to enter healthcare-related competitions and gain hands-on experiences. Junior Keziah Ocholi placed sixth and tenth in the Biotechnology and Biomedical Equipment Technician events, respectively. Senior Kayla Nguyen placed fifth in Nursing Assisting, and junior Jacob Huffman also placed fifth in Medical Spelling. Junior Mia Dwyer placed fourth in Veterinary Science, the highest place Tualatin received.
Junior Katie Tran also attended HOSA SLC and competed in Nursing Assisting.
“I learned from State that I could be really sociable, and I could talk to lots of people from different schools, and it taught me that I really want to go into something medical in the future.”
At FBLA SBLC, students competed in a wide range of events in the business field. Throughout the conference, students were able to participate and gain real world experience in professional settings.
Juniors Layla Auvil and Nethra Balakumar placed first in Financial Planning, junior Ashton Benke earned third in Advanced Accounting, senior Lyan Abdulhaq placed second in Entrepreneurship and senior Alexander Nickle placed fourth in Economics. In Project Management, seniors Nina Ichikawa, Olivia Pham and Anders Lien earned first, second and third place. All these students have qualified for Nationals!
Junior Dhruvika Vadapu competed in Business Communications and earned first place at the conference. Reflecting on her experience, Vadapu shared some advice for students interested in competing in the future.
“Be confident, and even if you make a mistake, take a deep breath and believe in yourself.”
