Held April 1-2 at UC Irvine, the mission of the conference was "to bring together Latino high school students, premedical students, medical students, residents and practicing physicians interested in how to best care for our Latino patients and communities." Over 700 students and physicians were present, including eight HSA sophomore members of our HOSA and MESA clubs.
The high school portion of the program was such a valuable experience for our students. They attended college-focused workshops on financial aid, the application process and choosing a major. Afterwards, they were treated to a complimentary lunch and mini college fair. "The college fair showed me all different colleges and the unique medical programs they had," said 10th grader Ana H. "All of the events encouraged me to attend college."
The afternoon featured hands-on skills training in areas including suturing, intubation, checking vital signs, and ultrasound technology.
"I really enjoyed the ultrasound technician workshop. It helped me think of more options for college majors." - Jessica M. 10th grade
"I enjoyed all the hands on skills workshops. They encouraged me to research new medical careers I didn’t know about before." - Angelica C. 10th grade
"The suturing workshop was awesome. I got to picture what it would be like to be a real doctor and can now see myself having that career." -Ariel M. 10th grade
10th grader Marina Q. said of the day, "I enjoyed the variety of things I did. They inspired my classmates and I to keep moving and enter college. There's so much for us to learn. All the things we did throughout the day made me think in a different way about life and I can't wait to begin my journey in college."
Congratulations to the UC Irvine chapter, the first chapter to host a national LMSA conference on the West Coast, and to everyone involved! It was an extraordinary event and we are so grateful to have been included.
For more pictures, visit our photo album.