Olga Mendoza and Adrienne Parker, from Ewing High School, along with their adviser, Chelsey Greene, recently attended the Nebraska Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America Fall Leadership Workshop. The annual event was held at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, and featured more than 584 students from all corners of Nebraska. The theme for this year is Fuel Your Passion as Nebraska FCCLA works to provide members with opportunities to discover and find their passion for their futures and careers.

Students heard from members of the Nebraska FCCLA state officer team, state peer officer team, and other chapter leaders about state and national programs, leadership development, and chapter management. Madeline Wittstruck, FCCLA national executive council vice president of finance from Milford, led sessions focused on introducing new members to the organization.

Keynote speaker Dean Jacobs challenged members to live a life of wonder and humanity through generosity, gratitude, dignity, curiosity, humility, respect, kindness and community. Nebraska FCCLA works to prepare students for future careers in human services, education and training, hospitality and tourism, and visual arts and design. The University of Nebraska at Kearney family studies department helped students learn about passion for the future by considering a future degree program focused on helping others. Dr. Christine Chasek presented Brain Storms: 12 Mind Bending Careers in Behavioral Health from the counseling and psychology department at UNK.

As members of the chapter bring this information and training home, they are looking forward to implementing it in a variety of ways. FCCLA is a new organization available to students at Ewing Public Schools. Members are looking forward to participating in a variety of school and community-service projects and competitive events, focusing on topics ranging from health and wellness to strengthening families to money management to preparing for careers.

FCCLA is a dynamic and effective national career and technical student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and address important personal, family, work and societal issues through family and consumer sciences education. Nebraska FCCLA has more than 2,800 members in 98 chapters across the state. For more information about FCCLA, please visit http://www.nebraskafccla.org.