If I'm being completely honest here, I originally thought HOSA was going to be one of those lame clubs that I had to join (AKA sign my name on a paper and pay $25 for) because of my enrollment in the STEM program. Yes, I went all through freshman year with that same thought in my head and it continued on through the summer up until a few weeks ago. School started back up again and my friends jumped at the chance to sign up for the Fall Rally Leadership Conference, therefore, I felt the need to show the same enthusiasm to this competition I knew absolutely nothing about. The initial information we were given was this: you will take a test, the test will be in Perry, you will ride a bus to Perry. As the weeks carried on, I began to feel extreme anxiety for this conference as I had no idea what to expect, how I would do performance wise on the test, or what any of the day had in store for me. The closer the trip got, the more stressed I became on top of my pre-existing stress from my normal studies. Of course, I hid this stress and fear from my friends because I didn't want to be a downer on this supposedly fun trip we were taking together.

The morning of October 13th, yes it was Friday the 13th, I began to feel the same eagerness as the people around me. My friends and I had planned to study so we each brought some school supplies, with the exception of one of my best friends, who instead of bringing one or two things, brought her entire backpack...yes, the whole bag. Please keep in mind that this bag is bigger than her! Our morning began with my group of 8 friends and I joking about how she would hold her phone flashlight while working: would she tape it to her head or bite on it to hold it in her mouth?? We even compared her to this work-a-holic in our class (he's a friend of ours) and said that she deserved a day off to spend with us. She was incredibly resistant for the first half our but eventually we wore her down. As far as I know, her nerves of missing school calmed down as well. After our test and the energetic speech that followed, we spent the day roaming the state fair in our group of sophomores, riding rides, eating junk food, drinking lemonade, and even playing those classic fair games. THEY'RE RIGGED, DON'T LISTEN TO THE PERSON RUNNING THE STAND!!! Those people lie, their job is to make you think it's easy but nope. Lies. All of it.

I will never forget a ride that was on a circle track, called The Mantis, not because of the thrill but because my poor friend, Emma, was so traumatized by the end of it that she couldn't get off. My friend, Anthony, joked that she broke his eardrums with her screaming. He also brought this back up when he, very foolishly, decided to sit next to me, Queen of Screamville, on a terrifying ride. I wouldn't have been surprised if Anthony ended the day yelling because his hearing was that messed up by our terror. Throughout the day, some of us became frustrated by those fair games, some of us drank our weight in soda, lemonade, or water. and some of us were just as happy as could be.

As much as I would like to say otherwise, the memories I keep forever from this experience will more than likely not be the test, or the t-shirts, or even the entertaining and inspiring speech. My memories will consist of my friends together in laughter and giggles for 15 hours. The sound will forever be in my mind, as it has become a vital part of my life. These people have become a vital part of my life. When I look back on my first HOSA conference, and I know I will, the first things that will come to mind will be of my wonderful STEM family and all the light they have brought to my life...