{"id":65773,"date":"2025-07-01T22:25:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T02:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=65773"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:25:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T02:25:03","slug":"genesee-county-nahiely-dones-rodriguez-took-on-nationals-and-discovered-a-journey-that-went-far-beyond-winning-first-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/07\/01\/genesee-county-nahiely-dones-rodriguez-took-on-nationals-and-discovered-a-journey-that-went-far-beyond-winning-first-place\/","title":{"rendered":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Nahiely Dones Rodriguez took on Nationals and discovered a journey that went far beyond winning first place"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Press release\/submitted photos<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fresh off her second consecutive first-place win at the New York State HOSA Spring Leadership Conference, Nahiely Dones Rodriguez, a senior in the Health Dimensions program at the Batavia CTE Center, set her sights on a new goal: representing Genesee Valley BOCES and School of the Blind at the HOSA International Leadership Conference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, the stakes were higher, the crowd bigger, and the experience unlike anything she\u2019d ever encountered. As the only student from her school to attend, Nahiely stood proudly on her own, yet carried with her the encouragement and support of her teachers, classmates, and community. \u201cIt was really fun being the only student going from my school,\u201d Nahiely said. \u201cIt was really special to be able to represent Genesee Valley BOCES, and it meant a lot to me that I was able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nahiely\u00a0and her teacher\u00a0Colleen Garner at the Conference<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competing in the “Personal Care” event, Nahiely performed a randomly assigned nursing assistant skill\u2014something she had prepared extensively for during class time and clinical practice. \u201cLuckily, it directly paired up with what we do at clinical on a weekly basis,\u201d said Colleen Garner, RN, her instructor and the Health Dimensions Program Coordinator. Colleen made sure Nahiely had time and support to go over each skill thoroughly, blending classroom learning with hands-on repetition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the weeks leading up to the conference, Nahiely studied her guidelines and practiced again and again. \u201cI studied all the skills several times,\u201d she said. \u201cI really wanted to be ready.\u201d She arrived at the international competition with determination and high hopes. \u201cNahiely came to win first place,\u201d said Colleen. \u201cShe had her mind made up that she was going to place first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when the top ten winners were announced at the awards ceremony, Nahiely\u2019s name wasn\u2019t called. It was a moment that could have felt like a loss\u2014but instead, it became something much more powerful. \u201cI think she realized at that moment that sometimes success looks different than she envisioned,\u201d said Colleen. \u201cBut that does not mean that she failed. Going to the conference and trying her best was the biggest win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For Nahiely, the experience went far beyond the competition. \u201cI think the biggest difference between the New York conference and the international conference is the amount of kids. It also can get a bit overwhelming,\u201d she said. But in that sea of thousands\u2014over 13,000 attendees from across the world\u2014she found moments of connection and joy. \u201cI met with some other students,\u201d she said. \u201cI connected a lot with Puerto Rico. That was my favorite group and it was really, really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Nahiely, the most meaningful part of going to nationals wasn\u2019t a trophy or a title\u2014it was the fact that she got there at all. \u201cIt was really hard to get there, but I still did it and that was the most special thing,\u201d she said. \u201cCompeting in HOSA has helped me in so many different ways. It gave me the confidence and the reassurance that nothing is impossible\u2014that whatever I put my mind to, I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her journey from the halls of Batavia CTE Center to the international stage is a reminder that true victory lies not only in placing first, but in showing up, pushing through, and growing stronger with every step. Through her courage, resilience, and heart, Nahiely Dones Rodriguez has already won in all the ways that matter most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Press release\/submitted photos Fresh off her second consecutive first-place win at the New York State HOSA Spring Leadership Conference, Nahiely Dones Rodriguez, a senior in the Health Dimensions program at the Batavia CTE Center, set her sights on a new goal: representing Genesee Valley BOCES and School of the Blind \u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23],"tags":[302,5050,5224,5225],"class_list":["post-65773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genesee-county","tag-batavia-cte","tag-health-dimensions-program","tag-hosa-spring-leadership-conference","tag-nahiely-dones-rodriguez"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-h6R","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63622,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/04\/11\/batavia-health-dimensions-senior-wins-first-place-at-hosa-two-years-in-a-row\/","url_meta":{"origin":65773,"position":0},"title":"BATAVIA\/Health Dimensions Senior wins first place at HOSA\u2014two years in a row","author":"aka","date":"April 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Press release\/provided photos For the second year in a row, Nahiely Dones, a senior in the Health Dimensions program at the Batavia CTE Center, earned first place in the Personal Care event at the Spring HOSA Leadership Conference. Her back-to-back victories are a testament to her skill, determination, and drive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Batavia"","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HOSA2.png?fit=1200%2C1181&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HOSA2.png?fit=1200%2C1181&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HOSA2.png?fit=1200%2C1181&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HOSA2.png?fit=1200%2C1181&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HOSA2.png?fit=1200%2C1181&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40402,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2023\/03\/02\/genesee-county-local-high-school-students-attend-graduating-senior-job-fair\/","url_meta":{"origin":65773,"position":1},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Local high school students attend\u00a0Graduating Senior Job Fair","author":"aka","date":"March 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"(Provided photo) Press release Over 450 local high school students had the opportunity to explore their career options at a local job fair held on February 28th at the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center, which is part of the Batavia BOCES campus. The event, organized by the Genesee\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Batavia"","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Job-Fair-1.png?fit=1200%2C958&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Job-Fair-1.png?fit=1200%2C958&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Job-Fair-1.png?fit=1200%2C958&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Job-Fair-1.png?fit=1200%2C958&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Job-Fair-1.png?fit=1200%2C958&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32128,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2022\/04\/27\/genesee-county-batavia-cte-center-students-inducted-into-the-national-technical-honor-society-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":65773,"position":2},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Batavia CTE Center students inducted into the National Technical Honor Society","author":"aka","date":"April 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Provided photo-The 2022 Batavia CTE Center National Technical Honor Society Inductees Press release Batavia, New York, April 27, 2022 \u2013 In April, the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) Chapter announced the names of 31 career and technical student inductees. These students met the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Batavia"","block_context":{"text":"Batavia","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/gennesse-county\/batavia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Batavia-CTE-Center-NTHS-2022-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Batavia-CTE-Center-NTHS-2022-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Batavia-CTE-Center-NTHS-2022-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Batavia-CTE-Center-NTHS-2022-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Batavia-CTE-Center-NTHS-2022-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":68435,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/23\/genesee-county-batavia-cte-center-building-trades-program-seeks-homeowners-for-student-built-dream-home-project\/","url_meta":{"origin":65773,"position":3},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Batavia CTE Center Building Trades Program seeks homeowners for Student-Built Dream Home Project","author":"aka","date":"September 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Press Release Batavia, NY \u2014 The Batavia CTE Center Building Trades Program is now accepting applications from homeowners interested in having their dream home built by students during the 2026\u20132027 school year. This unique hands-on learning opportunity allows students to gain real-world experience in construction while helping community members bring\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genesee County"","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumbnail_Screenshot-2025-09-22-at-9.14.28-AM.png?fit=1200%2C1019&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumbnail_Screenshot-2025-09-22-at-9.14.28-AM.png?fit=1200%2C1019&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumbnail_Screenshot-2025-09-22-at-9.14.28-AM.png?fit=1200%2C1019&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumbnail_Screenshot-2025-09-22-at-9.14.28-AM.png?fit=1200%2C1019&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumbnail_Screenshot-2025-09-22-at-9.14.28-AM.png?fit=1200%2C1019&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":75589,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/28\/genesee-county-wny-crystal-rodriguez-dabney-elected-chair-of-western-regional-off-track-betting-corporation-board-of-directors\/","url_meta":{"origin":65773,"position":4},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/WNY\/Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney Elected Chair of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation Board of Directors","author":"aka","date":"May 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Press release BATAVIA, N.Y. \u2014 Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation (WROTBC) today announced the election of Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney as Chair of its Board of Directors, marking a historic milestone for the organization and for New York State. Rodriguez-Dabney becomes the first woman to serve as Board Chair of WROTBC in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genesee County"","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snapshot_001-15.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snapshot_001-15.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snapshot_001-15.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snapshot_001-15.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snapshot_001-15.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31257,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2022\/03\/16\/genesee-county-a-self-starter-earns-a-scholarship\/","url_meta":{"origin":65773,"position":5},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/A self-starter earns a Scholarship","author":"aka","date":"March 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Provided photo-Left to right- Margaret Poray, Executive Principal of the GV BOCES Batavia Campus, Joe Rebmann, and Rich Monroe, the ElectroMechanical Trades Instructor at the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center (Note: the photo was taken before the mask mandate was lifted) Press release LeRoy, New York, March 16,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genesee County"","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/J.-Rebmann-Scholarship-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/J.-Rebmann-Scholarship-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/J.-Rebmann-Scholarship-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/J.-Rebmann-Scholarship-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/J.-Rebmann-Scholarship-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/HOSA2-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1857&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65777,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65773\/revisions\/65777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}