On February 16, Emerson FCCLA competed at the Region III Leadership Conference in Waco, Texas, with multiple students advancing to the state competition in Dallas, Texas.

FCCLA, which stands for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, is a competition that hosts events for students to showcase their leadership, entrepreneurship, and design skills in various competitions, with the regional conference beginning the FCCLA competition season.

“It was really rewarding to finally compete and showcase what we’ve been working so hard on,” Fashion Design competitor and junior Charlotte McWaters said.

Students have the choice to compete in competitive events, ranging from entrepreneurship to fashion and interior design, or have the opportunity to take a test over a chosen topic, from interview skills to culinary arts.

“The best thing about FCCLA is the opportunity for students to explore their interests through things like tests or projects,” advisor Katy De La Cruz said. “It makes competitions accessible to so many more students.”

Emerson’s FCCLA team saw multiple students advance to the state conference. Junior Dorothy Rajan placed third in Career Investigation. Additionally, Junior Keira Severin and Sophomore Kira Draffen earned gold and silver medals respectively in testing events.

“It was really cool to be standing up on the stage and earning recognition for all my hard work,” Rajan said.

FCCLA will now be preparing for the state conference in Dallas, which takes place from April 12-14.

“All of the preparation was so tough, but being able to see the finished product and present it in front of judges really made it all worth it,” McWaters said.