July 28, 2026
Courtesy story and photos submitted
Barton HOSA - Future Health Professionals recently attended the International Leadership Conference (ILC) in Indianapolis, Ind.
The conference hosted 13,900 students competing in 105 events over the three days. Students from all 50 states and seven additional countries were in attendance. Students can qualify for international competition with a top-three placement in their event at the state level.
Breakout sessions on leadership, career exploration, service opportunities, new technologies, and professional networking were also available.
Barton HOSA advisor Karen Gunther said she was very proud of how the students performed.
“This was the final year in HOSA for this group of students, and they represented Barton well with an impressive competitive place in the top 10 for each of their events,” she said. “They exhibited impressive knowledge on exams and skill performance.”
This year’s attendees were Kaden Baird for Respiratory Therapy, Valeria Gallardo for Biotechnology, Haley McCormick for Clinical Laboratory Science, Aaron Deason for Sports Medicine, and Hannah Dapogny, who received the gold medal for Clinical Nursing.
HOSA is a student-led organization that is 100 percent focused on various areas of healthcare. All Barton students are welcome to join. For more information, contact Gunther at guntherka@bartonccc.edu.