Eighteen members of Marietta’s FCCLA chapter attended the 77th Annual Oklahoma FCCLA State Convention, held in Oklahoma City on April 6.
Those attending from MHS were Emily Faulkenberry, Kaitlin Harris, Olivia Rutledge, Alina Fernandez, Ryli Wilkinson, Abigail Santibanez, Annalise Vivyan, Lillian Blevins, Ashley Perez, Colours Starsick, Maverick Mansfield, Andrew Perkins, Jayli Sampson, Madi Michael, Trinnity Mantzke, Emma Gore, Izabella Fernandez, and Elaina Avirneni.
Members received two awards on behalf of their chapter, the Gold Chapter of Excellence Award and the 100% FCS Participation in FCCLA Award.
Throughout the year, the chapter had volunteered at Citizens Caring for Children as a part of their state outreach project, and they were able to deliver the items they had collected.
The chapter also received the Oklahoma Alumni and Associates Grant a Wish Grant to send members to the Summer Leadership Summit in June.
In addition, Emily Faulkenberry was recognized for completing her term as SE 1 District President for the 2022-2023 year.
Members experienced a day packed with workshops and activities.
Keynote speaker for the convention was Nik Tokman from the television show “Deadliest Catch.” Tokman encouraged attendees to strive to be the best version of themselves.
“The FCCLA State Convention was an amazing experience,” said Madi Michael. “But my favorite part was getting to listen to the guest speaker, Nick Tokman. I loved how he talked about the importance of being yourself, and related stories from his life to that topic. I also loved getting to meet new people and seeing friends had made from previous FCCLA events. It was a fun learning experience.”
Members also attended informative workshops about the new state outreach project and about leading others and pursuing goals, and seniors attended workshops about post-graduation opportunities.
The convention ended with a trip to the Oklahoma City Zoo, but according to members, the best part of the day was the takeaways.
“I liked learning that you shouldn’t define yourself by your failures,” said Alina Fernandez, “but instead you should learn from them, keep working, and try to succeed, because eventually, you will get there.”