118 competed, 35 advanced.

On Feb. 21-22, Coppell High School HOSA sent 118 people to the Texas HOSA Spring Leadership Area 3 Conference at Tyler Legacy High School. Fifty students qualified for the State Leadership Conference on April 29-May 1 at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions. Thirty-five students advanced from the SLC and 15 advanced from testing. 

Seniors Muhammad Ayyan Siddiqui and Namir Awan placed first in Creative Problem Solving, with two other Coppell teams placing fourth and eighth in the same category. 

The Creative Problem Solving competition entails a 50 multiple choice question test prior to the area conference, with a live question being prompted at the event. 

“We get a problem presented to us and we get 30 minutes to prepare and provide a creative solution,” Siddiqui said. “Then you get eight minutes to present your solution to judges.” 

With it being Siddiqui’s first time competing, he was less experienced than most winning teams. Nevertheless, this hindrance failed to set him back.

“It was so nerve-wracking,” Siddiqui said. “We didn’t think we were going to even make the podium, let alone be first.”

Despite strong performances in categories such as Biomedical Debate and Parliamentary Procedure in past years, Coppell found strengths in new ventures.

“This year we’re a lot more skill-based,” Coppell HOSA advisor Bill Borowski said.

This proved true as Coppell teams placed first in Behavioral Health, CERT Skills, EMT, and Healthy Living. 

“We’ve been building the past few years,” Borowski said. “We’ve gotten stronger every year.”

Follow Kayla (@kaylagnguyen) and @CHSCampusNews on X.