Delaware Area Career Center

When Mariam Hasan stepped onto the stage at the Glass City Center in downtown Toledo on April 16, time seemed to stop.

She was about to speak in front of more than 2,000 students, teachers and industry professionals from across Ohio at the HOSA Future Health Professionals State Leadership Conference. It was a moment that could very well serve as a turning point in her healthcare career – a quality performance potentially opening doors to life-changing opportunities.

She was nervous. But she was also ready. And when the lights shone brightest, she embraced the moment.

“I felt like I was on top of the world,” she said.

Hasan, a junior from Olentangy Liberty High School in the Delaware Area Career Center’s Clinical Medical Assisting program, delivered a performance that would earn her a seat on the HOSA State Executive Council.

There are five seats on the Council, which marks the highest level of distinction for Ohio high school students involved in HOSA, an international leadership organization for students interested in pursuing careers in healthcare. Hasan will serve on the council for the duration of her high school career, helping plan and organize regional, state and national events, while also participating in exclusive networking opportunities across the country.

“To our knowledge, Mariam is the first student from DACC to achieve this honor,” said Tom Dyer, DACC Biotechnology Instructor and HOSA Chapter Advisor. “Understanding how difficult this is, what you need to do to accomplish it, and then actually going through with it … I almost cried. It was just fun to be there and to see it. Her excitement was genuine; it was nice. We’re so proud of her.”

Hasan was one of 14 students competing for a spot on the State Executive Council at April’s State Leadership Conference. She had pursued the position over a span of six months, having cleared the initial competition round this past winter, where 44 candidates vied for consideration.

Hasan and the other candidates networked with student delegates during the State Leadership Conference, then were tasked with answering a timed question to the best of their ability on-stage, in front of the entire conference. Delegates voted afterwards on who they believed would best represent Ohio on the State Executive Council.

“When I left the stage after I got selected, I was sobbing. I was just so happy,” Hasan recalled. “I just felt very proud and accomplished of where I am right now.”

Hasan wasn’t the only DACC student to make her mark at this year’s State Leadership Conference.

Forty-four DACC students competed at the state level, with three advancing to HOSA’s International Leadership Conference, which will take place June 17-20 in downtown Indianapolis: Camille Giallombardo (Big Walnut/Dental Assisting), Leah Hohenbrink (Big Walnut/Pharmacy Technician) and Sara Lesjak (Buckeye Valley/Equine Science).

Giallombardo will compete in the Dental Science category, while Hohenbrink will compete in Pharmacy Science and Lesjak will compete in Veterinary Science. Each student will take a written test, with the top scorers moving on to a hands-on skill assessment. The world’s top finishers in each category will be announced on the final day of the event.

A standout performance

It became clear early on that Hasan could contend for a seat on HOSA’s State Executive Council, Dyer said.

During her first week at DACC this past fall, she was selected to serve as class president for the school’s HOSA chapter. She then launched herself into leadership within the chapter, planning meetings and working with the seniors on outreach initiatives. She was fearless, Dyer said, and her enthusiasm was contagious.

“From the beginning, she was present. I don’t know how else to phrase it. She was just not afraid to be there,” Dyer recalled. “We did a mum fundraiser right out of the gate, and she immediately became involved. She helped promote it and followed up on it. She took on responsibilities with no hesitation. She just walked right into everything and went right into it from the beginning.”

Six weeks into the school year, Dyer told Hasan she should consider applying for the State Executive Council. He believed her positive attitude, outgoing personality and drive to make a difference would allow her to stand out on the state stage.

Hasan took the opportunity without hesitation.

“I love public speaking, meeting new people and trying new opportunities. I've always been aware of what being a state officer is, and have known some of those people, so I thought I might as well take the opportunity and see where it takes me,” Hasan said. “And knowing I can better the HOSA program in general and help out in that process is something that interested me a lot.”

Hasan called the application and selection process “nerve-wracking” at times, particularly the final week, where she would have to answer a timed question in front of thousands of her peers. But she said she felt supported and empowered by her instructors and classmates at DACC, as well as others from across that state that she had met through HOSA that school year.

She received a meaningful pep talk from Dyer in the hours leading up to the event.

“I encouraged her to talk slowly, to take a second before answering the question,” Dyer recalled. “Everyone else is going to make the same mistakes. They’re going to want to answer their question immediately and they’re going to talk really fast. I told her to take a breath and then express your thoughts, and then you’ll be fine.”

When Hasan stepped onto the Glass City Center stage that Thursday afternoon in mid-April, she learned her question: How has HOSA impacted you, and how would you impact HOSA, if elected?

Hasan mentioned in her answer that HOSA had already helped her grow in areas such as public speaking and professionalism. It had made her a more confident leader, and it had given her opportunities to meet other future healthcare professionals and experience the healthcare industry first-hand.

If elected, Hasan said she would use this opportunity to listen to her fellow HOSA members, advocate for their needs and interests, and ultimately drive growth and positive change within the organization.

“It has impacted me and made me a better person overall,” Hasan said. “I let the crowd know that healthcare is something I want to do, and I wanted to represent other students in that journey as well.”

Dyer called the response “perfect,” both in content and delivery.

“She was eloquent, she spoke clearly, and she put together a decent thought where she shared the idea that if I want to affect change, I should be able to work with people to help me affect change. It was great,” Dyer said. “I listened to the other candidates, and she was the only one who sounded that good.”

'A place with never-ending opportunities’

Delegates had five minutes after the speeches concluded to fill out their ballots, determining which five candidates they believed should be elected to the State Executive Council.

The results were tallied that night, and names were announced the next morning in Toledo.

When Hasan’s name was called, she said she leapt from her seat at the back of the Glass City Center and made her way to the stage. She recalled being overwhelmed with emotion.

“I was in shock for a little bit,” Hasan said. “The whole bus ride back from Toledo, I was really taking everything in. The process felt so long, yet so short, and in the end I felt nothing but gratitude. I’m grateful for my support system and all of my advisors, grateful for all my other HOSA friends who were involved at the state convention, and grateful for everyone who has seen my journey as president so far in our local chapter.

“Knowing I got the position still doesn’t really feel real right now. I can’t wait to start moving on it. I feel really happy, and the support from everyone here at DACC means a lot to me. I'm grateful for everyone and everything.”

Serving on the State Executive Council will open countless doors for Hasan in the coming years, Dyer said. It’s a rare and potentially life-changing opportunity.

“She’s going to be able to network with people next year that she never would have had the opportunity to network with before,” he said. “It should provide her with a lot of future opportunities.”

Hasan has dreams of one day becoming a pediatric oncologist. She has a passion for helping children (she’ll be volunteering at Nationwide Children's Hospital this summer) and she’s seen the impact of cancer through family experiences. She wants to serve and advocate for children who are battling cancer in their own lives.

“I feel children are sometimes overlooked and not taken into consideration as much, but they are humans at the end of the day. And I’ve had family members with cancer,” Hasan said. “Anything I can do to help out children, especially those with cancer, is something I'm really interested in.”

Hasan said she was inspired to pursue a career in healthcare by her father, who works as a nurse practitioner and allowed her to see his workplace often during childhood.

“Healthcare in general – even if I’m led to a different specialty, although I probably see myself in pediatrics – it’s always something I've looked at and have been interested in,” she said.

Attending DACC has allowed Hasan to accelerate her career journey, earning credentials and gaining real-world experiences in the healthcare field that most her age do not have. She is excited to begin her medical externship next school year, where she will trade time in the classroom for time in the field, and she called her DACC experience a “great stepping stone” to her future goals, giving her two years to meaningfully build her resumé before graduation.

Getting the opportunity to serve in leadership through HOSA, both at the local – and now state – level, is another example of this. Hasan said she is grateful that she made the decision to come to DACC, given the number of doors it has already opened, just one year in.

“I like taking risks and I like seeing what opening a new door can bring me. Looking back, I never would've seen myself where I am today,” she said. “Starting here at DACC, I was nervous about going to a new place and I didn't know what to expect. But I will never stop promoting this school and encouraging people to come here.”

Hasan has been empowered to lead at DACC – from being named “table leader” in her lab, to being named a DACC Student Ambassador, being selected to serve on the Superintendent’s Student Council, earning leadership roles at the local and state level through HOSA, and much more.

“Each little thing means so much. With every little role, it just means so much to my growth, and that’s a great thing,” Hasan said. “The little things don't go unnoticed here, and that's what’s great about DACC.”

With a new opportunity in front of her, Hasan is looking forward to seeing – and embracing – everything her senior year has to offer.

“This year has brought me so much and next year will bring me even more, and I’m thankful for DACC because it is truly a place with never-ending opportunities,” Hasan said. “This role on the State Executive Council is a stepping stone to even greater things that will be coming next.”