After months of preparation, the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)  members brought home gold medals at this year’s National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.  The students won first place at the state level in April this year and earned their chance to claim gold at the national level.

“That recognition [of winning] gave me a great boost in my college life,” said senior Simran Bhatia, FCCLA officer.  “[It also helped me] gain experience with talking to new people, creating something from your own ideas, and being able to take leadership in your community with something small, like a Student’s Taking Action for Recognition event.”

Not only did the students compete in the events that allowed them to win, but some of them acted as judges, and all of them attended workshops and business sessions in order to further enrich their experience.  In the workshops, they were able to listen to inspirational adults tell their life stories and enjoy hands-on learning in workshops based on cooking.

All of the students had to prepare a 10-15 minute speech and some sort of display to go with their presentation.  Displays ranged from trifold boards to scrapbooks and costumes.  Their months of hard work paid off after having the chance to walk on stage and accept their gold medals for winning their events.  For many of the students, this was their second time winning a gold medal at the FCCLA National Conference.  The members had to follow certain guidelines in order to succeed.

“You need to make sure you get all of the criteria that you need to get gold on the rubric,” said Bhatia.  “You have to follow up on everything and hit all of the requirements to achieve your goal.”

 The students work alongside their advisor, Irma Bode, in order to find and create their project ideas.  Bode’s work is an extremely long process, but she feels that it is always worth it.

“My work starts way before nationals,” said Bode.  “It starts in the fall by taking students to the district meeting because they have to go to districts to qualify to go to the State Conference.  They really need to be involved from the very beginning.”

Bode must also fill out paperwork, field trip forms, and collect money for registration and transportation.  She also has to make sure that students have communicated with their teachers because they may have to miss school.  The group of motivated students and advisors do not just compete for medals and recognition; they leave a huge impact on the community every year, whether it be volunteering at walks, raising money for charity, or packaging meals for the less fortunate.

“We are the largest chapter in the state of North Carolina,” said Bode.  “We pride ourselves on being involved in lots of things that relate to the school.  Even if we are not the initiators, we participate in it and I think that bodes well for us in the long run because the administration sees us doing good things for the community, then they support us.”

FCCLA does not only affect its members, but prospective students as well.  The community is also greatly influenced.

“Since FCCLA won gold at nationals, I think it has shown the community that everyone can do something to make the community better,” said senior Kerry Sullivan.  “It helps show that we can all be a leader in something.”

FCCLA’s win has motivated students to become better people in their everyday lives.

“[This club has] motivated me to become a better figure as a person and reach out and help the community grow and be a leader in the community to help others,” said Sullivan.