FORT PIERCE, FLA (July 10, 2025) – Two Indian River State College HOSA – Future Health Professionals students brought home an impressive collection of awards from the 49th HOSA Global-International Leadership Conference held recently, in Nashville, Tennessee. Sara Anderson and Petricia Lopilato earned silver medals, plaques, excellence pins, and excellence award certificates competing against more than 12,900 students from around the world.
The international conference, which hosted 14,320 total attendees including competitors from all 50 states and eight international chapters, featured 97 competitive events across middle school, secondary, and postsecondary levels. Students competed in real-world healthcare settings, with clinical competitions taking place at locations such as Vanderbilt University’s clinical laboratories, Nashville Zoo, and Vanderbilt’s Life Flight emergency services hangar.
Sara Anderson earned a Silver Medal in Health Career Photography and achieved Gold Recognition of Excellence in both the Health Literacy Ambassador Project for Brain Health/Stroke Identification and HOSA Happenings Chapter Newsletter. She also received Bronze level recognition for the Barbara James Community Health Service Award and excellence certificates in Anatomy & Physiology.
Petricia Lopilato captured a Silver Medal in Clinical Laboratory Science, earning a sponsored plaque from Charles River Laboratories as a top ten finalist. She also achieved Gold Recognition of Excellence for her Health Literacy Ambassador Project on Heat Illness and received excellence certificates in Math for Health Professionals and Microbiology. Additionally, Lopilato served as volunteer conference personnel through the Courtesy Corp.
HOSA is a national student organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Education Division of ACTE. HOSA’s mission is to enhance the delivery of compassionate, quality healthcare by providing opportunities for knowledge, skill, and leadership development of all health science education students.
Indian River State College serves students across Florida’s Treasure Coast region with comprehensive educational programs in health sciences, nursing, and numerous other fields.
“These remarkable accomplishments by Sara Anderson and Petricia Lopilato showcase the caliber of students we’re proud to serve at Indian River State College,” said Indian River State College President Timothy Moore. “Their success at the 49th HOSA Global-International Leadership Conference reinforces our commitment to preparing the next generation of health science professionals who will serve our communities with excellence and compassion.”
The HOSA Global-International Leadership Conference brings together future health professionals from around the world to compete in events that mirror real healthcare scenarios. This year’s international participation included chapters from American Samoa, Canada, China, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
Indian River State College’s HOSA chapter continues to build on its tradition of excellence in preparing students for careers in healthcare through competitive academic and clinical experiences that develop both technical skills and leadership capabilities.
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About Indian River State College: Indian River State College, serving Florida’s Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee counties, offers high-quality, affordable education to 23,000 students annually through traditional and online courses. The River provides 175 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, technical certificates, and applied technology diplomas.
Media Contacts: Kathleen Walter, kwalter1@irsc.edu; Rodrigo Berlanga, rberlanga@irsc.edu
