When recent scholarship winner and high school graduate Kade Copple first joined HOSA– future health professionals, it was with the intention to gain valuable insight and leadership skills for a future career in the health sciences. During Kade’s years in HOSA he served as both his high school’s Chapter President and the Iowa HOSA State President. During his time in HOSA, Kade represented Iowa HOSA at the International Leadership Conference. He also attended the Washington Leadership Academy where he advocated for career technical education and mental health initiatives in schools. And this past spring when COVID-19 cancelled the HOSA Spring Leadership Conference, Kade helped create a virtual platform for the event and helped secure key sponsorships with various universities and companies.
During this past year, Kade has helped conduct research about cardiovascular immunology in a lab at Des Moines University. His hope is to become an Oncologist/Hematologist, a doctor who specializes in cancer and blood disorders. His journey to wanting to become an oncologist stems from his mother’s 9 year battle with metastatic breast cancer, which she continues to fight today.
This upcoming fall, Kade will be attending Gustavus Adolphus College to study Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Public Health in addition to swimming for their varsity team. Although his journey as a collegiate member of HOSA is over, Kade will continue to be a mentor for HOSA students and always be a part of the HOSA family. Kade thanks HOSA and Tallo for this scholarship opportunity and for being a part of his journey to becoming an MD. Congratulations, Kade!
