Timpview High School’s Annalisa Annarelli Mendoza Elected as Utah HOSA Executive Council Area Vice President

May 21st, 2024 /
Spencer Tuinei /
CTE, News, Schools, Secondary Schools, Timpview High

Few students are clear candidates for leadership like Annalisa Annarelli Mendoza; she is kind, well-spoken, detail-oriented, and luminous in a way that naturally draws friends into her orbit. It is no wonder that the Future Health Professionals organization, formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), has accepted her application and elected her a state official: Annalisa is now one of five Utah HOSA Executive Council Area Vice Presidents.

Only eight officers are elected yearly from a substantial statewide pool for the Executive Council, which is a tremendous honor and a grand achievement.

Speaking with Annalisa, one can immediately recognize why she’s earned the role: she leads by example and lifts others first. It is a quality that takes work to teach, yet this kindness comes naturally. Annalisa is a student whom others would follow because of her example.

Annalisa’s diverse background as a trilingual immigrant from Venezuela, fluent in Spanish, Italian, and English, also adds to her unique leadership profile. Her contributions as a CAPS member and a volunteer math tutor demonstrate her desire to leave a positive impact as a team player.

In our interview, she shares what drew her to this organization, attributes her rise to state leadership to her journey within HOSA as she learned accountability, and imparts advice to other students interested in medicine.

We congratulate Annalisa on her tremendous achievement and are grateful for her past and future contributions to our community. We invite you to enjoy her interview below.

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Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m from Venezuela, and I come from a family with Venezuelan and Italian culture. I immigrated to the United States five years ago and speak Spanish, Italian, and English.

I’ve always had a love for anatomy. I love science; I love medicine. Right now, my goal is to make it to medical school.

Q: How does your family feel about you making HOSA State Official and your interest in HOSA?

They’re very proud. Every immigrant dreams of having their child go into medicine, right? They’re pleased that I’m in a leadership role, too. They’ve always taught me the value of leadership. They tell me that they’re proud of the decisions I’m making and tell me that I’m a good student. Although they’ve told me I should have more free time, I honestly love studying.

Q: What has your HOSA journey been like? What made you apply for a position as Utah County Vice President?

HOSA is relatively new for me. I joined HOSA at the start of the year because it offers an opportunity to learn what you want independently, discover new fields, and find related resources. I love that it’s student-driven and lets you act independently.

But I first applied for HOSA because I like to help others—medicine is all about helping others, and that brings me joy. For example, I’m a student assistant and tutor in a math class. I know that I can influence and change HOSA if I’m part of the Executive Council for HOSA. I want to help make an impact. That’s the goal of my presidency: to leave a positive impact.

Now, my responsibilities include assisting other HOSA chapters and helping them generate project ideas, preparing and organizing competitions and conferences, speaking about topics through presentations, and much more.

Luckily, last year’s HOSA state advisors told us that we have a great president and we’ll work as a team. We can always ask for help.

Q: Can you share a little about applying for the Vice President position? What did you have to do to earn your position?

The State Conference was held in April, so HOSA started sharing information to apply for state officer in February. They shared a big packet listing all of the responsibilities in the position. I had to write a CTE story and send a professional picture. I studied for a HOSA test—like, I had to learn the dates, the slogans, the parliament procedures—that’s what we use in executive council— and I had to study the history.

I think studying the history of any organization is important. I learned more about the culture and where HOSA came from. Generally, it’s helpful to learn from previous mistakes.

The test was honestly pretty hard. Then, lastly, we had an interview for the position. Overall, fourteen candidates passed the test, and eight were elected.

After you’re elected, the old state officer gives you a handwritten letter with advice. My old officer, Sophia Moretti, was super sweet. She wrote this long letter giving me great advice: “You’ll have long nights after conferences, long state leadership nights, and different parliament procedures, so you must remember your why. Keep why you’re doing it in mind.”

She told me that she trusted and had faith in me, reminding me that I’m curious, determined, and driven and can do this.

Her comments inspire and remind me of my passion for the role. I love HOSA. This position is important; I believe this is a great thing I’m taking on. I know how hard it will be, but that challenge inspires me.

Q: How has your involvement within HOSA helped your academic and personal growth?

A constant theme in my time through HOSA is accountability. My HOSA project was a group project between another girl and me. I knew that if I had a task, I had to complete it because my partner trusted me. I

If I’m taking on a competition, I must take accountability from day one, study, and prepare appropriately. It was the same when making state officers.

Accountability and determination. I’ve learned to see things through to the end.

Q: Do you have anyone you consider a role model, within or outside HOSA? What have they taught you about accountability and determination?

I don’t have role models so much as other friends who constantly inspire me. One of the girls in HOSA who inspires me—and who is also part of the Executive Council—is Anna Taylor. Last year, we learned that she won state and national competitions and took more than ten AP classes. Through her example, I saw what is possible.

Katalina is another student who inspires me. She balances her passions between her Chilean cultural dances and keeping good grades. She’s always working.

Another is my friend in CAPS. He wanted to create a video game. He promised himself he would finish this project—he learned how to code, built the game from the ground up, and finished it. He showed perseverance with his goals, and that inspired me, too.

People inspire me.

Q: What would you say to other students interested in medicine, like you?

If you are interested in the medical field and need help with what to do next, HOSA can point you in the right direction. It can give you great recommendations and insight into future studies. When I attended the conference, they introduced these different medically focused colleges. I just found out there were so many colleges with medical options.

If you join HOSA, I challenge you to be active. Take the challenge on. Don’t take it as a resume builder but as a chance to grow, learn, and gain experience. Join a competition. Learn from the people in your club. Learn how to work together. Learn a new skill. Learn about a new field. HOSA gives you all of these opportunities.