This spring, Westside High School students, Samantha McHugh and Hadley Hansen, placed first in the Public Service Announcement (PSA) category at the Nebraska HOSA competition. Their project also qualified for the international competition – the HOSA International Leadership Conference. HOSA (formerly standing for Health Occupations Students of America) is a globally recognized student-led organization with the mission to empower future health professionals towards becoming leaders in the community through education, collaboration, and experience. 

This year’s competition was focused on brain health. Samantha explained that, as she and Hadley began talking through ideas, Samantha’s 80 year old grandmother with Alzheimer’s Disease, immediately came to mind because of the very personal connection. As they began to hone in on this concept, Samantha said, “We acknowledged the fact that my grandma, my mom, and I, all look very much alike.” This became a strong symbol for their PSA because, “visually it represents a generational connection and a shared identity, showing that Alzheimer’s can affect not just one person, but an entire generation. At the same time it highlighted the sad truth of Alzheimer’s, the fact that [it] causes you to lose memories, personality, and connection.” 

The thirty second video features Samantha with her mom, Vicky McHugh, and her grandma. In the voiceover, Samantha describes how Alzheimer’s has impacted her family and how it can, “slowly erase a lifetime.” She says that the brain holds all experiences, memories, and emotions, and highlights ways that Alzheimer’s Disease can be prevented, including eating healthy, exercising, and engaging your brain.  

Both Samantha and Hadley agreed that the most fulfilling part of the process was not just the award itself, but the feedback they got from everyone who watched their PSA. 

“Whether in person, through word of mouth, or on our feedback form, there was an abundance of positive responses. It was also awesome to see how much of an impact can truly be made in a 30 second video,” Samantha said. “The success was rewarding, getting first place and qualifying to go represent our state on a national stage makes all of the work we put into the preparation worth it.” 

In addition to the PSA, at the Nebraska HOSA State Leadership conference, Samantha and Hadley were also awarded the Hilary for Charity certificate. The certificate award required 30 completed hours of research study and for them to present a speech to a panel of judges.

Although the HOSA program at Westside is still relatively new – just completing its second year – they are already growing quickly and making a name for themselves. The group is open to anyone who has an interest in a career in the health care field and meets every other week on Tuesdays. “Our membership has doubled since last year, and the returning members have a much clearer understanding of what the HOSA State Leadership Conference is like. That experience helped lead to stronger presentations and projects this year,” Hadley said. 

Hadley said that HOSA has big plans for the future to continue to grow and make an impact in the community from a health care perspective. According to Hadley, “whether it’s researching and educating others on healthcare issues or taking part in community service projects for competitions, our chapter has the ability to help and should keep doing more as we continue to grow and improve.”