Kofa High School’s HOSA – Future Health Professionals earns first place in Community Awareness

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - Kofa High School's HOSA – Future Health Professionals have earned regional recognition after securing a first-place finish at the Regional Leadership Conference. The achievement highlights the students’ commitment to addressing important public health issues within Yuma County.

Competing in the Community Awareness event, the school’s HOSA team was honored for its initiative titled “Beyond the Harvest,” a project centered on pesticide awareness and overall agricultural health. The campaign seeks to educate both farmers and local residents about the effects of pesticides and the importance of informed agricultural practices in a region heavily influenced by farming.

The idea for the initiative stemmed from discussions about issues directly affecting the local community. Students recognized that agricultural fields surround much of Yuma, making pesticide exposure and agricultural safety particularly relevant topics.

“Well, starting with our competition, we were brainstorming about the different things in the community that affect us, and we thought agricultural fields are basically all around us,” said HOSA student Blanca Siqueiros.

Her teammate, Yurem Robles, emphasized the lack of education most people have in regard to the topic.

“I think as high school students, we don’t really get educated about that stuff, and even just people living here in general. It’s mostly always workers,” Robles said.

While the first-place recognition marks a significant accomplishment, the students say their primary focus remains on community impact rather than accolades. They expressed pride in seeing residents engage with the information presented through their campaign.

“It’s so rewarding because we really have been putting a lot of work into this, and we love to see people getting educated on the different aspects of what we’re trying to teach our audience,” Robles added.

Following their regional success, the team is preparing to advance to the state-level competition in April. The students hope to expand the reach of “Beyond the Harvest” beyond Yuma and potentially into other cities, underscoring the broader agricultural influence of the United States.

The initiative estimates it could impact as many as 220,000 people based on local population figures, reflecting the significant potential reach of the students’ efforts. As they move forward in competition, the team remains committed to continuing its educational outreach and promoting agricultural health awareness throughout the community.