The University of Delaware’s STAR Health Sciences Complex was rocking during spring break — filled with the cheers of high school students from across the state of Delaware. These young scholars cheered on their classmates during the HOSA Future Health Professionals State Leadership Conference. Over the course of three days, more than 800 public school students visited the College of Health Sciences (CHS).

Delaware HOSA is managed by the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) and state adviser Peg Enslen.

“Delaware HOSA is excited about the partnership with the University of Delaware,” Enslen said. “HOSA members enjoy being on campus, meeting College of Health Sciences judges and taking tours. We are looking forward to experiencing The Tower at STAR next year.”

During the buildup to its second year hosting the competition in the STAR Health Sciences Complex, CHS elevated the scale of the partnership with DDOE. Alyssa Benjamin, the college’s pipeline program coordinator, spearheaded UD’s role in organizing the event.

“A key part of the college’s mission is educating the next generation of healthcare professionals,” Benjamin said. “Our pipeline program is largely focused on Delawareans. The high school students that competed this week are going to become the next wave of healthcare professionals and leaders in our state.”

Students competed as individuals and teams in the conference’s 35 events, including medical terminology, nutrition, transcultural healthcare, public health and epidemiology. Events were judged by a combination of professionals from the DDOE, CHS, private industry and the non-profit sector.

Junior George Goldsborough of St. Georges Technical High School won second place in the nutrition category.

“It’s been great for me to take part in HOSA to complement what I’m learning in my classes,” said Goldsborough, who also took part in CHS’s inaugural Health Sciences Summer Camp last August. “I had an amazing time. I'm looking forward to participating again next year.”

Sarah Shamloul, another former CHS camper, won the bronze for researched persuasive writing and speaking.

“The wide variety of offerings at the STAR Health Sciences Complex is definitely my favorite part,” said Shamloul, a Newark Charter School sophomore. “The complex contains labs, clinics and offices that all specialize in varying aspects of the health sciences field.”