This past weekend, six of the FCCLA officers traveled to Denton for their Peer Education Conference. The officers took advantage of this great opportunity to explore their talents and learn how to educate their peers on the FCCLA National Programs.

FCCLA is the only career and technical in-school student organization with the family as the central focus. Participation in state and national programs and chapter activities helps members become strong leaders in family, careers, and communities.

“We officers had the best time this weekend making new memories and growing our leadership skills,” Vice President of competitive events Betsy Martinez said. “We made lots of new friends and got to stay in a really nice hotel.”

The officers were preparing for this upcoming year and preparing for all the members to participate in STAAR events in Galveston in February. The officers were split into groups and had the day to learn about a different National Program to bring back to our chapter.

“The Peer Education Training was fun because I learned to “network” with a group of people that I didn’t know so well,” junior Kaline Matinez said. “I had to overcome being shy in order to get the most out of this.”

One of the National Programs that the group of officers got to learn about was about distracted driving. The State officers had prepared different ways to not get distracted so much when driving.

“I learned so much this past weekend during our FACTS training. I learned about distracted driving and how many people lose their lives because of it,” President Dayani Compean said, “I felt that with all the information I learned I could tell the members how important it is to be safe on the roads.”

Some of the other officers attended the National Program Seminar about Nutrition. They learned about the different dietary plans for teens and even young adults.

“I have really opened my eyes to how I eat and my dietary plan,” State Officer Callie Harter said. “I don’t always eat that good, so I was very glad to be a part of this presentation, and hopefully it affected others, too.”

The students were able to attend many National Program sessions and tell others in the hotel about FCCLA. They will be able to share their experiences and opportunities with others.

“It’s very important to me to let others know about the amazing organization, FCCLA,” junior Scarlet Carrillo said. “Not a lot of people know what FCCLA actually is and what it stands for, so my duty as an officer is to make sure I share all the great opportunities and what FCCLA is all about.”