MIHS HOSA Students Compete at State Competition

Mercer Island, WA, March 9, 2026 – Last week, the Mercer Island High School HOSA-Future Health Professionals group attended the State Leadership Conference in Spokane.

During the conference, students competed in events, attended workshops, and visited colleges. The MIHS chapter keeps growing, and they had the largest number of students, 46, attend this year. 

The group is proud to announce that two of their members secured top five placements in their competitive events. Lily Yen-Ladd placed third in Epidemiology and Brian Rosemund placed fifth in Biotechnology. Lily has the opportunity to advance to the International Leadership Conference (ILC) in Indianapolis, Indiana, later this year. 

The MIHS chapter also received some notable recognition for their collaborative work to promote and improve health care. All of these students also have the opportunity to be recognized at ILC. The student team below worked with the Red Cross to collect blood donations to help save lives.

Ina Shapiro                   Aria Lele                     Emma Liang
Zoe Kesapradist           Sadie Waddell            Ava Lele
Elizabeth Kelley            Maya Maheshwari     Helena Moreira Vasquez
Lily Yen-Ladd                Graham Cullins         Guillem Sullivan
Ella Chang                    Katie Leavitt              Chloe Yu
Lucy Hao        

Kate deStowlinski, Campbell Parkinson, and Samantha Merritt were also recognized for their efforts to register bone marrow donors for the National Marrow Donor Program.

Additionally, Ina Shapiro was honored with the Barbara James Award, recognizing her dedication to community service.