Are you familiar with the HOSA organization? HOSA – Future Health Professionals, formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America, is an international career and technical student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Technology Education Division of Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). 

“HOSA works to develop knowledge, skills and leadership for students looking to enter the health care profession,” says University of Texas at Austin predental student Kamile Kukleryte. “While this student organization is widely recognized at the high school level, several collegiate chapters also exist. I have the pleasure of being a member and leader of the University of Texas at Austin’s chapter. In addition, I was honored to receive ADEA’s HOSA scholarship at the 2023 HOSA International Leadership Conference (ILC).”

Keep reading as Ms. Kukleryte provides an overview of the benefits and value of participating with this important pre-health organization. 

“Coming back home with a bag of ice and ice cream, 7-year-old me never would have imagined the years of treatment and surgeries I would endure from losing one baby tooth,” says predental student Rafa Hossain. “A year later, I found myself at the orthodontist’s office, baffled by tooth #8’s stubborn refusal to come out. Despite undergoing braces and numerous procedures to correct my tooth’s position, sadly, this problem remained unsolved.”

Read more as Ms. Hossain shares what happened next, her personal experiences and the inspirational moment that led her to choose a career path in dentistry.