Thirty students in the Health/Medical Department at Carbon Career & Technical Institute attended the Health Occupations Students of America competition from March 11-13.

Donna McClain, instructor and HOSA adviser, and Jacob McCloskey, instructional aide, accompanied the students to the competition held at Hershey Lodge. Over 1,750 students were registered to participate.

McClain, McCloskey and student Saleena Hollis from Palmerton Area described their experiences to the CCTI Joint Operating Committee meeting last week.

“The group traveled to Hershey Lodge, where students attended testing sessions, symposiums, and the opening ceremony,” McClain said. “Staff supported students throughout the event, managing schedules, activities and accommodations. Students also participated in evening events and had some recreational downtime.”

Hollis, a Palmerton senior at CCTI, placed second in phlebotomy after finishing in ninth place last year.

“The first round was a written test, 50 questions,” Hollis explained. “It’s definitely beneficial to do the same event two years in a row. That first year let me a better idea on what to focus on. Clearly, that paid off, because now I am going to international.

“The second round was a skills test. You draw two random skills from a set based on your event. My event was phlebotomy, so my skills were ‘How to handle an accidental arterial stick,’ as well as ‘What to do if a patient starts to faint.’ ”

Hollis said that the HOSA competition experience is very humbling.

“You may think you know everything until you get to the competition and see how you compare with other students your age,” she said.

The international competition will take place June 17 to 20, 2026, at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indiana.

McCloskey said that, when stopping to eat on the way to the competition, the manager at the restaurant approached him. The manager said they regularly have groups of students stopping at their establishment and the CCTI students were the most well-behaved.

McCloskey also observed that while at the competition, “our students presented as great citizens — treating fellow competitors with kindness and respect.”

Though he sees them daily at school, he said he was “impressed with their actions in public, representing both CCTI and our community, well. We should be very proud of this group.”

At the closing ceremony, Hollis earned second place in phlebotomy, qualifying for the International Leadership Conference in Indianapolis. Additional results included the following:

• Fourth place team finish in Forensics — Laylonie Leisure and Jaelynn Kreitz (Panther Valley juniors).

• Eighth place finish in Home Health Aide — Brook Tanasijczuk (Lehighton Area senior).

• Fifth place finish in Life Support Skills — Haileigh Haldeman (Palmerton Area junior).

• Seventh place finish in Life Support Skills — Adelyn Everett (Jim Thorpe Area junior).

Hollis currently works at St. Luke’s Lehighton Medical Center as part of CCTI’s co-op program. She plans to pursue a certified registered nurse anesthetist degree after graduation.