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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Students from all over the state gathered in Greensboro for the North Carolina HOSA Leadership Conference.

Among them, the HOSA club from Starmount High School in Yadkin County.

They were there to network, learn and compete in different areas.

HOSA or Future Health Professionals of America teaches students about all the possibilities open to them when it comes to careers in healthcare. Jayden Haynes is a Starmount High School junior and President of her HOSA club.

“HOSA is that has a lot to do with the health care field. And I know that’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s a very rewarding job and career to go into. I feel HOSA can help me get a better understanding of where I need to go from here,” Haynes said.

And so can her teacher Erica Triplett. She says right now she has the best of both worlds. She’s a teacher and a nurse with more than 10 years of experience.

“I was a bone marrow transplant nurse for eight years of Baptist hospital,” says Triplett. “And I actually still work there twice a month. So, I’m still doing that because I get to have both kids and of that. “

It’s her experience in the bone marrow transplant unit that really helped her students in one of the HOSA state competitions this year. Students were to come up with a Public Service Announcement for BeTheMatch

“The kids were able to put a video together and encourage people as a community to reach out and be that cure for someone and give them the gift of life, which is, I mean, you can’t put a price on that,” Triplett said.

“It’s something that’s important because there are so many people out there that don’t have a donor or a match. So we thought through this video, we can kind of maybe save someone’s life,” Haynes said.

Other students, like Madison Triplett, competed in Health Education roles. The Starmount Junior visited a third-grade class to teach them about their teeth. “We had the teacher record us and we presented to them, their canines, their incisors, you know, all the basic information about, you know, take care of your teeth,” Madison said.

Through the competitions, they learn a lot about leadership. Through their teacher, they learn a lot about real life.

 “She knows a lot about what she’s talking about since she has a history in the healthcare field,” says Haynes. “She’s very good at educating us and kind of leading into where we need to go in the future. “

“I definitely tell them, I try to incorporate things that I’ve experienced as a nurse, into everything that I teach them, tell them about how healthcare is so much more than just what you’re actually doing,” says Triplett. “It’s so much of from the heart, from the soul. And it’s so much of caring. And then I think caring is more than 50% of what helps people get better.”