Just a few short weeks after graduating from Grayson County High School, Mekenzie Ballard found herself on a national stage claiming 2nd Place in Medical Assisting during the HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) International Leadership Conference held in Orlando.
More than 12,000 students and staff attend the annual gathering. According to HOSA advisor, Donna Priest, at least 40 students competed in the Medical Assisting event, which begins with a 50 question written test. Competitors who qualify continue to the second round where they must perform several randomly chosen skills from the eight they’ve learned in their studies.
Ballard’s strong finish marks the third year in a row that the GCHS HOSA Chapter has had students place in the Top Three nationally.
Nearly a dozen HOSA members earned the opportunity to compete at the national level by placing in the top three of their event during state competition in March.
These included Dayton Blair, Medical Law and Ethics; Miranda Boaz, Pharmacology; Taylor Kinser, Clinical Nursing; and Josie Reynolds, Behavioral Science, who all placed first at state. Also earning a berth at nationals were Makayla Mathis and Emily Neff, who placed second at state in Forensic Medicine, and Peyton Spears, who took state third place in Pathophysiology.
GCHS HOSA advisors are Donna Priest and Erin Johnston.
