Between lunch periods on Wednesday, April 18, students were able to attend a Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) to meet with two guest speakers.
“[FCCLA] is one of the eight Career and Technical Student Organizations [CTSO] offered in Indiana. It has family as its central focus. It’s a nonprofit organization for men and women,” Lucy Wagoner, Ind. State FCCLA Officer, said.
FCCLA has over 160,000 members with 47 affiliated states, as well as the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
“There are ‘Chapter Projects’ you do. The Chapter Projects are basically concerns in your community,” Wagoner said.
With FCCLA, one can gain goal-setting skills, problem solving skills and interpersonal communications, but the main skill gained is leadership.
“Our motto is ‘Toward New Horizons’ and our sideline is ‘The Ultimate Leadership Experience’,” Wagoner said.
This program allows students to get a head start on college applications by providing several opportunities for students to get more involved with their school, which in return, adds more to college applications.
“The most successful students in college are usually the kids who are the most active and involved in high school, specifically with our CTSOs,” Ebbon Sample, Admissions Specialist, Johnson and Wales University, said.
FCCLA’s program can open scholarship doors for its members as well. Last year, Sample’s University awarded $22.8 million in scholarship money towards FCCLA students.
“We know if you’re in FCCLA in high school, you’re going to gain skills and be dedicated to be a professional and have leadership skills in college and in the future,” Sample said.
