Desert Sunrise High School’s emergency medical services students brought home a long list of honors from the Arizona HOSA State Leadership Conference earlier this month, including a chapter gold award, multiple individual Pulse Awards and a state championship finish that sends one student to international competition.

Nine Desert Sunrise EMS students attended the AzHOSA State Leadership Conference from April 9 to 11.

The chapter received a Gold Chapter Award and was recognized as one of five schools in Arizona for conducting successful blood drives and meeting donor requirements for recognition. Desert Sunrise also received an award as one of 12 schools in Arizona, including universities, for fundraising for the HOSA National Service Project with NMDP, previously known as Be The Match.

Seven students also received Pulse Awards, which recognize dedication in and out of the classroom. Four students earned bronze, two earned silver and one, Chapter President Natalia Flores, earned the Platinum Pulse Award.

In competition, seven Desert Sunrise students qualified to compete at state. Five of those students qualified at the AzHOSA Eastern Regionals Conference in January. Three students placed first in their events and received gold medals, while two others placed in the top six to advance to the State Leadership Conference.

Two additional students passed qualification testing in January to rank among the top 30 in Arizona and compete in CERT skills at state.

Local support also played a role in the students’ preparation. Maricopa CERT loaned equipment for the state event and worked with students on their skills.

All nine Desert Sunrise students competed April 10 against 2,300 students from across Arizona in a range of events.

Among the top finishers was chapter Treasurer Elyse Villanova, who placed first overall in Arizona in Researched Persuasive Writing and Speaking. Villanova will attend the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Indianapolis in June.

The chapter is also set to receive national recognition for its blood drives at the international conference.

The Desert Sunrise chapter is still in its early stages. It was created last year and attended state in March 2025 to learn more about HOSA. This school year marked the chapter’s first time participating in AzHOSA camps, conferences and recognition events.