You might have seen Lilly in the hallways, or you might even have a class with her. You might know she is a 7th grader or that her mom, Mrs. Murillo, is our medical teacher. Or you may have never met her before. But, did you know that she and her team placed 8th in their competition at HOSA internationals 2025, or that she has been doing martial arts since second grade? Lilly works hard in these activities; she does this to make an impact, to make a difference.
HOSA
Last year, Lilly joined HOSA, not knowing she would end up at the internationals, placing 8th in her competition with her team. But how did she get there? First, she had an amazing team with Lillian Morris, Megan Kaufman, Sidney Dawes, and Mia Hunkler. The team had to work hard to be fully prepared for their competition. Lilly stated in order to prepare for the competitions, “We met up a couple of times, [we really revamped our speeches], and we practiced, and we thought, what can we do to make this better?” Her team’s competition was Health Education, and they got the topic of handwashing. They got the opportunity to go to Jupiter Farms Elementary to teach about the importance of handwashing. When the day of the regional competition came, the team was very
excited, but at the same time, nervous and anxious. But when they got
on the stage, they had big smiles on their faces. They knew that they were going to make it. And they did! They took home 1st at regionals and 2nd at states.
Finally, it was the day of the International HOSA competition. All of the team’s hard work, dedication, and commitment had all led up to this moment. When it was the team’s turn to go up, everyone was nervous and excited. What happened on the stage would determine the team’s final score. So when the team got on stage, they did their best like they did at the other competitions, and put on a smile. Lilly stated that when the scores were announced, “[When I found out, I texted [our HOSA group chat], and we were all super excited. We were celebrating, [and when I saw them], [we were all very jumpy, like, we did this as 6th graders.] And we accomplished something this big.”
Other School Activities
Lilly is involved in many activities at school. She does HOSA, SECME, Chess Club, and makes podcasts in Journalism two. Lilly says that she loves participating in these activities because, “I think that they’re all really cool clubs, and it’s a great way to find friends, improve on your leadership, and just improve on your overall wellbeing and your overall genuine feelings about school.” While being involved in these activities, Lilly has met some of her now close friends. For example, when Lily joined SECME, she didn’t know two of the people on her team very well. After spending time together practicing for the SECME competition, she got to know them, and they became good friends. You might be wondering, “What did she get to do in SECME?” In SECME, she was able to compete in a game show, and she successfully created a rocket out of a bottle! At Chess Club, she was able to become a stronger chess player and discovered more tricks and strategies.
When Lilly heard about Journalism Two, she knew it would be perfect for her. She states that she has a passion for writing because, “In sixth grade and in my elementary school years, I’ve always loved to write. [I’m very passionate about it, and I love having what I think out there and what I think written down and shown to others.”] Writing has always allowed her to express her creativity and thoughts, so she has always found comfort in it.
Martial Arts
An activity Lilly Murillo has a passion for is martial arts. Ever since second grade, Lilly has been earning belts and has now earned a black belt with a yellow stripe! She says that at the place where she does martial arts, her belt is a higher-level belt. She explained that to earn a new belt, you need to get a certain number of stripes to test for the next belt level. Lilly has a love for this sport for many different reasons. Lilly explains that, “I really like my instructors, the art of it, how it creates a safe space for kids to go in because I have never stepped onto my martial arts mat with a bad mindset, it’s always cleared my mind, made me happy.” Lilly also explains that the mental aspect can be just as helpful as the physical aspect in this sport. She says that it also helps with her self-confidence, self-discipline, and helps her evolve as a person.
Personal Life
Lilly Murillo’s personal life says a lot about her. “I’m really passionate about being there for people because you never truly know what’s going on in someone’s life, and sometimes they just need someone to hug or a shoulder to cry on.” Lilly doesn’t want people to feel alone. She wants to be there for people because they might not look it, but they could be alone. Lilly grew up here in South Florida, where she lives in her mom’s childhood house. She explains that, “I actually live …where she grew up as a child, we live there, but we expanded it, we renewed it kind of, but I think that’s pretty cool.” When Lilly gets older, she wants to be a performer, like a singer or an actress. She says that when she was in fifth grade, she was in the musical The Music Man. She played the lead as Harold Hill. If she can’t be a performer, she would like to be a teacher. She wants to be a teacher, “Because I’ve had a couple of really good teachers and I feel like they impacted my life and I want to share that with other kids.”
Overall, Lilly is a very involved student who we are so grateful to have as part of our JMS family! Who knows what she’ll accomplish next? Maybe in the future you’ll see her in the spotlight on a stage or teaching your kid! Every day, she is getting a step closer to accomplishing her dreams.
