Congratulations to HOSA students Lucy Magat & Paola Castro Zuniga

Joliet West High School’s HOSA (Future Health Professionals) team of seniors Lucy Magat and Paola Castro Zuniga took top ten in the Medical Reserve Corps (MCR) Partnership category at the 2020 HOSA Virtual International Leadership Conference (ILC).

The 2020 ILC provided competitive events focused on leadership, professional, and technical skills. HOSA members were able to virtually attend general sessions, health organization exhibits, and educational seminars and workshops presented by professional partners. They also had the opportunity to meet people from across the globe with similar career goals.

This year, five Joliet West students joined over 7,300 international HOSA members from June 24-27, 2020 at their conference, which was held virtually this year due to COVID restrictions. Joliet West HOSA students participated in public health events held throughout the year and both Lucy and Paola obtained their CERT training through the New Lenox CERT group prior to attending the ILC.

Lucy and Paola collaborated with each other virtually during the 2020 spring semester to perfect their Medical Reserve Corps Partnership project before they presented for this year’s international audience. The MRC Partnership event is designed to encourage local HOSA chapters to grow a partnership between HOSA students and local Medical Reserve Corps unit located at the Public Health Department.

The Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is an important national network of over 200,000 volunteers, organized in almost 1,000 local community-based groups and committed to strengthening public health, reducing vulnerabilities, improving local preparedness, response and recovery capabilities, and building community resilience.

Mrs. Spata, the advisor for Joliet West’s HOSA chapter, said, “Working with our local MRC enables our HOSA students to not only learn about emergency response and preparedness, but students also learn about disease prevention strategies and the importance of public health.”

Pictured (Left to Right): Lucy Magat and Paola Castro Zuniga