president@marylandhosa.org

Nikhita Bhatt, a senior at Montgomery Blair High School, serves as the President of Maryland HOSA. Her journey with HOSA began as a freshman member, leading to her role as Blair HOSA President in her junior year. Her competitive achievements include second-place finishes in both Health Informatics and Extemporaneous Writing – Health Policy at the state level, advancing to the International Leadership Conference (ILC) twice.

Through her tenure as Blair HOSA leadership, she’s increased membership, raised thousands of dollars, and helped planned club trips to ILC. She’s very excited to work with Maryland HOSA, to help inspire students around the state to get involved in different health careers. HOSA helped her discover her passion for the health sciences and showed her all the options for health careers out there. She wants to help other students find their passions as well. 

Looking ahead, Nikhita plans to pursue public health studies, political science, or data science, at a college on the East Coast. She’s particularly passionate about addressing health outcome disparities across U.S. communities and is considering careers in either public health or law.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Nikhita is an accomplished musician, playing both piano and clarinet in various chamber ensembles and community groups. She cherishes time spent with her parents, younger brother, and cats, emphasizing the importance of family in her life.

Nikhita is incredibly excited to serve as the president of Maryland HOSA, and wants to make this year the best year Maryland HOSA has ever had. 

vicepresident@marylandhosa.org

Zahrah Shameer, the Maryland HOSA Vice President, is a Sophomore at Urbana High School, where she combines her love for people with a passion for healthcare and leadership. 

A HOSA member for two years, Zahrah has been recognized with numerous accolades, including third place in the Maryland State HOSA Medical Innovation competition, as well as attending HOSA ILC in Texas this past year. There, she discovered her true love for HOSA because she saw the power of diversity, and how different perspectives can shape and refine powerful ideas. 

Zahrah also loves displaying leadership on the court. She is the captain of the Urbana High School JV Volleyball Team and is currently beginning her club season as a player for the Metro Volleyball Club of DC. In her free time, she loves reading, exercising (specifically running and weightlifting), fashion, and cooking for her friends and family. She has two little brothers, 11 years old and 6 months old who motivate her to stay strong and smile in the face of adversity. 

With aspirations of becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon, Zahrah values HOSA for the opportunities it provides to grow as a leader, connect with like-minded and new peers, as well as offering ways to gain real-world insights into healthcare. She shares, “HOSA has been the bridge between my dreams and reality, giving me the tools and confidence to pursue my future in medicine.”

secretary@marylandhosa.org

Danielle Choi is a current sophomore at Glenelg Country School, serving as secretary for the HOSA state executive council of Maryland. In addition, she is the president of the HOSA chapter and coordinator of the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Youth Action Campaign program at her school. What began as a simple passion for helping others has evolved into a mission of empowering future health professionals and creating a supportive environment for other like-minded leaders. Danielle has since led multiple initiatives that include restarting her school’s blood drive, starting a digital newsletter, and building health lessons for younger children. 

In the previous year, she conducted a survey about the influence of social media on decision-making, creating an award-winning research poster in the HOSA Maryland state conference. With this strong interest in neuroscience, specifically neurodegenerative diseases and psychology, she has also been a part of the Stanford JClub and HCDrugFree’s teen advisory council. During her free time, she enjoys playing the flute with the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra, writing poems, and playing with her dog. 

reporter@marylandhosa.org

Tolu is a current senior at Mt.Hebron High School in Ellicott City, Maryland. This is Tolus fourth year in HOSA and she will be serving as the state reporter for the 2024-2025 year.  Aside from courses at Hebron, Tolu  takes dual enrollment classes and is a student at the Application Research Laboratory where she is working to become a certified medical assistant. Tolu participates in many clubs and extracurricular activities. She is a dancer, secretary for the local scholars leadership program, and owns her own business. The organization that Tolu says has her heart is HOSA. During her freshman year of high school she joined her school’s chapter and has been changed and shaped by its core values and dedication to preparing her for the healthcare field. 

Inspired by her 2024 HOSA project on polycystic ovarian syndrome and how food can treat the condition, Tolu’s post college plans now consist of attending a four year university and majoring in nutritional science on the pre-med track. Tolu found a love for this degree and hopes to use it  to make a positive impact on her future patients and show food can be a form of medicine. 

“The Hands of HOSA Mold the Health of Tomorrow.” This national motto for HOSA has been apparent in Tolus’ life, with the help of this organization it has helped solidify Tolus’ choice for medicine. With the many opportunities HOSA has offered during her years in the organization she learned her role as a future health profession and leader of the future. Tolu will be forever grateful for the community, love and care HOSA has provided.