A huge portion of my high school experience was dedicated to The Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). Looking back, I can thank FCCLA for the leadership skills that have allowed me to thrive in college and prepare me for what I want to do with my life. My time with the organization went beyond this though, it was some of the most fun I ever had with some of the most wonderful people I ever met. I had the privilege of serving as a FCCLA National Officer my junior year of high school and to this day this is what comes to mind when I think of FCCLA.
1. The FCCLA Blazer
As an FCCLA member, all I wanted was to become a State Officer so I could wear a shiny red blazer. The State and National Officers were like superheroes to me. They were great role models and were able to do so many amazing things like host conferences and workshops. Once I was in the blazer, I realized that there was far more hard work and sweat behind that blazer and officer duties. It's still hanging in my closet.
2. Travel
FCCLA members get to go to conferences all over the country. Not only did we gain leadership skills, we got to tour the coolest parts of the United States. Personally, I missed upwards of 20 or 30 days of school when I was an officer. I know people who missed even more. My first time flying by myself was to an FCCLA conference. FCCLA definitely helped me cross tons of states off my list of places to visit.
3. Conferences and competition
There are tons of conferences to attend as an FCCLA member on the local, state, and national level. The opportunity to go to Clusters and Capitol Leadership were some of my favorite experiences to meet people in a smaller environment than Nationals. Conferences are also where we got to do STAR events and run for office. I remember the excitement and nerves I felt as I would go in to present a project that I had spent a semester working on and the pride I had as my name was called if I won a medal and got to advance to the next level.
4. Values
FCCLA’s values helped me develop as a person, such as “to provide opportunities for making decisions and for assuming responsibilities.” All of the conflicts and problems I encounter in my activities now seem like much smaller issues because FCCLA has prepared me for almost anything.
5. Family and Friendships
You can’t have FCCLA without Family. The organization puts a lot of effort in emphasizing the necessity of the family. They have an amazing amount of programs that work to improve communication like eating meals as families. I know that FCCLA for me was a family ordeal as my mother and stepdad came to both National Leadership Conferences when I ran for office and when I was an officer. It is amazing to see the amount of family members who come to conferences or help with chapter projects.
Friends also become family in FCCLA. It is amazing how close you can become to people who live all over the country. I have gone to visit friends across the country and have even adopted friends into my family for Thanksgiving. FCCLA showed me that you don’t need to see someone every day to consider them a best friend.
6. Ultimate leadership experience
FCCLA’S tagline is the Ultimate Leadership Experience and there is no other way I could think to describe this dynamic organization. It prepared me to be a leader in my family, career, and community and showed me so much in my six years as a member. I hope that it can keep taking members “Toward New Horizons” for years to come!
