Are you a student who’s interested in the medical field or looking into a future as a health
professional? If so, Highland’s Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) chapter
might be the perfect club for you.
Highland’s HOSA chapter members practice hands-on skills, explore career opportunities in health science, compete against other schools, and earn community service hours. HOSA is an international organization, so students have the resources to make real connections in the medical field. Highland’s HOSA advisor Dr. Robert Campos encourages students to join the club because HOSA is also a great way to make friends and get involved at school.
Additionally, HOSA helps with many service projects, most notably, their upcoming blood drive on February 9. HOSA members have been working hard to advertise it and encourage people to give up their blood.
“It’s going to give them a little bit more experience and a little more understanding of what they could potentially go into when they become adults,” Campos said. “And knowing kind of what you’re getting into is going to help you save time and money and get you into someplace that you enjoy really quickly.”
Highland’s chapter is small at the moment, but with the guidance of Dr. Campos, this year’s HOSA officers have been working hard to promote the program and increase student engagement.
“It’s been absent from Highland for the past ten or so years,” Campos said. “Luckily, I have a good strong group of officers that are doing a lot to make sure that it runs effectively and efficiently, and you know, get people out there.”
One of the ways the officers are trying to grow HOSA at Highland is by holding more events and meetings than last year. With assistance from her fellow officers, HOSA events coordinator Grace Torres has been leading this initiative.
“I was introduced to the club last year where we had a few meetings but never anything further such as participating in competitions; it kind of fizzled out,” Torres said.
Motivated to improve from last year, Torres has been working with her fellow HOSA officers since August to grow the chapter.
“We started by working on organizing meetings and promoting the club at Highland,” Torres said. “We made a GroupSpot, planned meetings Wednesdays during flex time in Campos’s room, started sending out messages to the members from last year, and we’ve had a good amount of people join the GroupSpot but meeting attendance hasn’t always been consistent.”
The chapter also had the chance to attend the Fall Leadership Conference on October 1 at the Utah Valley Convention Center. They worked with other chapter officers and advisors in the state to build leadership skills, learn strategies, and network with other students. They also used the experience to get insights on upcoming competitions and events.
HOSA’s next big event will be on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. In collaboration with Associated Regional and University Pathologists Inc. (ARUP), Highland’s HOSA chapter will host a blood drive in the Highland library. 
The event will run from 9am-2pm. ARUP will bring in professional phlebotomists to collect the blood and make sure everything runs smoothly. Students interested in donating can make an appointment and get excused from class to donate. Besides being able to help local families through blood donation, student donors will also receive a Chick-fil-A gift cards as a thank you from ARUP. Teachers with their busy schedules are also encouraged to donate and are welcome to do so at any time during the event.
“Hopefully we’re going to be able to set it up multiple times a year to try and help the community quite a bit. Every unit that’s collected during those drives, is usually used within the next five days and it’s all kept within the valley,” Campos said. “And so, every pint of blood that is collected through ARUP stays within the grater Salt Lake metropolitan area. And it’s going to help all of our local patients that really need it.”
In the past, Highland’s HOSA chapter has partnered with Red Cross for blood drives but after speaking with other HOSA advisors in the area, Dr. Campos decided to set this one up with ARUP.
Highland’s HOSA chapter is working hard to promote this event and their club. If interested in donating blood or joining HOSA, visit @highland.high.hosa on Instagram or visit Dr. Campos’s room in the basement.
