Danbury Students Advance to State-Level Science Competition

DANBURY, CT — Four Danbury High School students have been chosen to compete at the state level of the Future Health Professionals competition in March.

Last week at a career fair at the school, 67 students in the Health & Bioscience Academy at DHS participated in the Future Health Professionals competition by presenting their health career displays that they have worked on since mid-September. Participation in the program is part of the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) cluster. The academy is for students planning to pursue college degrees in various fields of medicine, including pre-med, physician assistant training, advanced practices nursing, nursing and physical therapy.

The career fair was the first phase of HOSA; Future Health Professionals, formerly known as
Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), an international career and technical student
organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Technology
Education Division of ACTE, in which "the competitors shall develop a visual display of a
specific career or cluster of careers in health."

The competition encourages students to express ideas through an artistic medium and highlight the benefits of a particular career focus. An integral component of the project is to conduct an interview with a health professional currently working in the field. Students were encouraged to visit the health care professionals in their places of work to gain a better understanding of the full career experience. Students can also be judged on presentation skills. The project aligns with the health sciences national standards of employability skills and career-decision making.

Capturing the top prize at DHS was Danielle Laureano, whose focus is the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. An interview with Dr. Marshall Kurtz, an oral surgeon in Danbury, helped her solidify her professional goal: "One day I will change someone’s life." Kurtz helped her visualize this career and understand that "becoming a surgeon can take over your life, but if you have the passion and drive for it, you wouldn’t mind waking up every morning knowing you are doing what you love."

Annarita Lynch took second place with her display about pediatric nutritionists. She has a love for cooking and sees this as a great opportunity to combine her hobby with her passion to study medicine. Annarita interviewed her grandmother, Nancy Lynch who graduated from marymount College in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition and went on to become a therapeutic dietician at New York Presbyterian. Annarita valued connecting with her grandmother and learning about her life experiences and felt it was the most impactful part of
this experience.

Gabriela Galarza and Diana Siguenza teamed up to create a display on a U.S. Army combat medic and earned third place. Gabriela interviewed her brother and Army combat medic, Juan Galarza. The students were intrigued to learn that there are a multitude of healthcare positions in the military. Many were inspired to learn that the Army would help offset the costs of college.

As part of the career exploration initiative, the Health & Bioscience Academy has had a multitude of guest speakers from the community come in to discuss their career pathways. Sergeant Larry Lynch in mid-September. He highlighted the various military healthcare careers.

In early October, a former Danbury High School and HBSA graduate, Laura Grant, talked about
becoming a nurse in Danbury Hospital’s Emergency Room. Dr. Amanda Placeres shared her experience working in naturopathic medicine and the options available at the post-secondary
level.

The state-level competition will be held in Waterbury on March 7, 2020. Winners at the state
level will compete internationally in June in Texas.