PHOTO VIA Ivy Lee

Lee at the Minnesota Capital talking to Minnesota Legislators.

On April 8, junior Ivy Lee stepped into the role of Minnesota HOSA president for the 2025-26 school year. As president-elect this year, Lee worked closely under the past president, finding her community and gaining leadership skills. 

Since freshman year, Lee has committed hours of her high school career towards HOSA-Future Health Professionals, previously known as Health Occupants Students of America (HOSA). This is a government funded organization that allows students who are interested in medicine to gain hands-on experience through role-play competitions, attend college and career fairs and make connections with industry professionals.

Introduced to the club by her mother, Lee has had a leadership role in the Mounds View HOSA chapter since her sophomore year. Her first official position was the club treasurer, where she helped organize the club’s finances, registered them for conferences and booked hotels.

Lee has always wanted to become a doctor, but talking to other students and professionals at HOSA conferences is where she found her passion for neuroscience. “I really discovered my love for neurology through the people [at HOSA] that I’ve talked to,” said Lee. “Meeting so many people with the same passions and being able to talk to them about leadership experience and healthcare stuff was really amazing to me.” 

At her first fall leadership conference, she also met the previous Minnesota HOSA President Elaine Phan, who Lee explains was not only incredibly kind to her, but also inspired her to run for president-elect. “Elaine made such a big impact on me, and I really wanted to be the type of leader that she was, and I wanted to have the same impact that she made on me,” said Lee.

After winning president-elect in 2024, Lee spent this past year planning activities for conferences with her team, such as speeches and events, and working closely under the president to learn the duties, such as weekly homework emails and check-ins. While doing these activities, Lee also carried out her regular state officer duties as well, reaching out to start new chapters. 

At times, Lee struggled with the weight of being the up-and-coming Minnesota HOSA president. “I felt a lot of pressure to be the exact same leader that the president was because I knew that we were very similar,” she said. Yet, she also found support from the close-knit HOSA community. “Throughout my term, I really learned how to be my own leader and kind of step out of that imposter syndrome and really be confident within my leadership skills. I think everyone struggles with imposter syndrome at some point,” said Lee. “The support from my state officer advisor has definitely given me a lot of confidence.”

While their initiative goals are not finalized, the Minnesota HOSA state team is working on restructuring and improving the communication between local and state officers for next year. More importantly, Lee hopes to emulate the past president with her similar expression of kindness and empathy during her presidential term while creating her own mark in the Minnesota HOSA chapter.