Brookings Health Sponsors Four HOSA Students to Compete at International Leadership Conference
- June 01, 2026
Brookings Health System is sponsoring four Brookings High School students who have earned the privilege to compete at HOSA’s International Leadership Conference, June 17-20 in Indianapolis.
Seniors Lauren Bortnem and Amelia Wendell took first place at the state competition in the Community Awareness category. The Community Awareness competition requires teams of 2 to 6 members to educate their own community with a campaign focused on one health or safety-related issue that will impact their whole community. Bortnem and Wendell focused on hygiene insecurity for children. They hosted a hygiene drive and were able to donate over 2,500 hygiene items and had 30,000 local interactions about hygiene insecurity for children.
Senior Maddie Jongeling took second place in the Home Health Aide state competition. The Home Health Aide event allows HOSA members to gain the knowledge and skills required for supporting patients in their homes. This competitive event consists of two rounds. Round one is a written, multiple-choice test. The top-scoring competitors advance to round two for the skills assessment. The event aims to inspire members to be proactive future health professionals and equip them to serve patients in a home health setting.
Senior Lia Olson took third place at the state competition in the Extemporaneous Writing – Health Policy event. The competition allows HOSA members to gain knowledge and skill to write an effective letter to a policymaker. Competitors receive a secret topic that outlines a relevant health policy or issue with supporting details. Competitors draft their letters in 60 minutes to submit to judges. The event aims to inspire HOSA members to learn more about current health policy and feel empowered to make a difference by voicing their opinions on important health topics to applicable decision-makers to effect change.
Over 1,500 students from across South Dakota competed in 82 different categories this spring to qualify for the International Leadership Conference. The students prepare the entire school year for the state HOSA competition with the hope of qualifying for nationals.
HOSA – Future Health Professionals, formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), is an international student organization that promotes career opportunities in the health care industry and enhances the delivery of quality health care to all people. HOSA provides a unique program of leadership development, motivation and recognition exclusively for secondary, post-secondary, adult and collegiate students enrolled in health science education and biomedical science programs or have interests in pursuing careers in health professions.
“Supporting and developing the next generation of healthcare professionals is an important part of Brookings Health System’s commitment to our community,” said Jason Merkley. “As Brookings County’s largest healthcare employer, we are proud to invest in students who demonstrate passion and potential in the healthcare field. We also value our strong partnership with the Brookings School District and appreciate the impact of its science-focused Career and Technical Education programs in preparing students for future careers.”
Brookings Health’s workforce embodies the spirit of teamwork, working together across disciplines to care for local patients and residents. Individuals who want to join Brookings Health System’s Top 20 Rural Community Hospital team can find Brookings job opportunities right for them at brookingshealth.org/Careers.
About Brookings Health System
Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic & Optical, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, municipal health system that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.