Yosuni Rodriquez. Courtesy photo.
SANTA MARIA — The Santa Maria High School FCCLA recently joined more than 182,000 members across the nation in raising awareness of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and advocating for Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) during FCCLA Week.
Held annually during the second week of February in conjunction with Career and Technical Education Month, FCCLA Week celebrates the accomplishments of FCCLA and the positive impact FCS has on our society, according to Saint Teacher and Advisor Nicki Pedeliski.
Each day of FCCLA Week has a unique theme, which allows members, advisers, and supporters to create a customizable, educational experience for everyone involved. More than 350 Santa Maria FCCLA members participated in virtual Valentine’s Day card exchanges with kids from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. One member noted, “Sending them a card made my heart feel so warm and so happy knowing I will be putting a smile on their faces.” Another FCCLA member said, “This project made me feel very happy because these kids deserve the world and are such an inspiration to everyone!”
Santa Maria Chapter Officer, Yosuni Rodriquez, was elected to serve on the Region 7 FCCLA officer team for the 2021-2022 school year. Yosuni shared at the Region 7 FCCLA Spring meeting, “I like to inspire and show people when you put your mind to something you really want, you can reach it with the time and the effort.” Yosuni will be installed as an officer at the State Leadership Conference in April and trained at the California FCCLA Region Officer Leadership Conference held in July.
Juniors, Norah Reyes and Sofia Regalado are representing Santa Maria FCCLA with their STAR Events (Students Taking Action with Recognition) Projects at the State STAR Event Competition held virtually in April. These projects allow students to be recognized for proficiency and achievement in chapter and individual projects, leadership skills and career preparation.
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), is a dynamic and effective national 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. FCCLA has over 150,000 members and over 6,500 chapters from 50 state associations, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The organization has involved more than ten million youth since its founding in 1945.