Meet Ariana/ FCCLA Picture Contest

In the words of Tori Coates, "Hi I'm Ariana Lake and I am a princess. Sometimes in the morning I like to go to the window of my castle and look at the mountains and sing to the birds. Then they all come and fly around my head and it makes for a very lovely day." But really...Most people call me Ari. I'm a Montana girl through and through. I love to ride horses, camp, ATV, ski, and basically anything else you can do outside! My all time favorite things are going horseback riding, cheer leading, and spending time with friends and family. :) A fun fact is that I live in a house shaped like a pyramid. Yes, like the ones in Egypt! I also happened to be on MTV in August because of it. :) I joined FCCLA because I believe that practicing acts of kindness and doing good for my community is crucial. As a National FCCLA Officer, I put it upon myself to make a difference so that each one of you can feel that something wonderful, something different, something unique, and something life changing that FCCLA has to offer.

One of my other passions is competitions though...like the upcoming FCCLA picture contest!

Here's the D.L.-- We're going to be holding a contest via Facebook and Twitter. The challenge is to be the participant with the funniest, most unique, interesting, overall AWESOME that ties in FCCLA and the NEC's determined monthly theme. The theme for November will be *drum roll please* CRAZY SOCKS! So what YOU need to go do is take crazy sock pictures with something FCCLA in it and tag the National FCCLA Facebook page or National FCCLA Twitter. The winner will be announced at the end of the month. Best of luck! Lights. Camera. ACTION!!

Meet Kristy/ FCCLA Social Media

Hey ya'll I'm Kristy Paquette, your National Vice President of Public Relations. Ya'll may know me better as the National Vice President of the Random Facts Countdown (haha). I'm 17 (soon to be 18!!). I'm originally from Louisiana, but moved to Texas when I was about 13. The town I live in now is the hometown of Miranda Lambert. If you want me to talk your ear off, start a conversation with me about baseball or Batman because I absolutely can't get enough of either. I love the Rangers with all my heart and soul and if they don't win the World Series I may just lose my mind. I also love the Saints (Who Dat?!). Baylor better be ready for me when I graduate because I want to major in nursing there. In a nutshell I'm the goofy one. I love laughing all day, and you'll hear me say the weirdest things to make you start laughing too. But the funniest thing about me is the fact I used to be so shy and quiet before FCCLA. I know, hard to believe, right? I owe it all to FCCLA, so I can't wait to repay the organization by having the best year ever this year!!! If you have any questions, cocerns,...crippling fears, don't be afraid to hit me up on Facebook or my email. I'm always up for a good Dr. Phil moment.

But back to business, let's talk about how important social media is now a days. I, for one, check all my social media outlets at least once a day. It's where I let myself creep out and learn what's going in the world from the football scores to relationship statuses to information about school or FCCLA. FCCLA has so many pages and profiles you can check out to learn more about the organization. For any facts FCCLA, you can go to the website at fcclainc.org and read about the programs or register for an upcoming conference. FCCLA has a Facebook profile (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) and twitter account (@NationalFCCLA) where you can get a daily dose of FCCLA including newly updated information. There are also many chapter and member pages like The FCCLA Lovers!! (Josey Stevens just beefed up its membership quite a bit!) which serve as a forum for members across the country. Last but not least there is the FCCLA National Executive Council blog (fcclanec.blogspot.com) where you can learn about the council and what we are up to now.

Capitol Leadership in Review

Look around Facebook and you'll see it has been flooded with status updates, pictures, and posts of FCCLA members who had an amazing time at Capitol Leadership in Washington D.C.. The week started off with the Leadership Training Team members, Andrew, Emily, and Caroline, teaching us about important qualities a leader must possess. We learned how to dress, interact, and even eat properly. We learned important topics FCCLA wants the government officials to take notice of including Youth Safety, Nutrition and Wellness, College and Career Readiness, and the Carl Perkins legislation and funding. On Tuesday, we swarmed Capitol Hill. We are all ready to make a difference through FCCLA. Everyone talked to representatives or senators or their staffers. Throughout the week many members also got to see the beautiful sights of D.C. Overall it was an unforgettable experience. We all made new friends and great memories. If you'd like to hear more about Capitol Leadership feel free to contact any of the members of the National Exective Council. We'd love to tell you anything you want to know about Capitol Leadership!!

Meet Miguel/ Cluster Meeting Excitement

Hey FCCLA members! My name is Miguel Astello from Madisonville, Texas and I am proud to be serving as your National Vice-President of Programs. 


Does anyone know what group of meetings is coming up that are educational, inspiring, and FUN?  THE NATIONAL CLUSTER MEETINGS!!!!! The meetings will be held November 11-13 in Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The November 18-20 meeting will be in Atlanta, Georgia. The cluster meetings are a great time for you to gain more leadership skills as you interact with members from all over the nation. No matter what cluster you choose to attend, the experience will be just as thrilling! Now I am going to give you a little more information about myself.


I go to school in Madisonville, Texas, which is right in between Houston and Dallas. I am involved in other organizations in my school such as band, debate, and FFA. My priority in life right now is literally FCCLA. I became involved when I was in 9th grade. At first, I just participated in STAR Events and attended the National Leadership Conference in Nashville, but later in my school life I decided to run for a FCCLA office. That turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. I love to spend time with my friends, but I also love learning more. Now, when I say learning I DO NOT mean math, english, or science. I mean learning about useful facts, political structure, and news. In the future I hope to attend Baylor University and double major in Business Administration and International Business, and Minor in Political Sciences. This basically means that I want to run for the President of the United States one day. (No Lie) So that is me in a really small nutshell.


I really encourage everyone to attend a Cluster meeting because the experience will truly be life changing! With FCCLA you are sure to get The Ultimate Leadership Experience when attending any FCCLA meetings and events!  

Meet Tori/ Capitol Leadership

Hey, hey FCCLA! I'm Tori Coates, proud to be serving as your National Vice President of Development!  As all of you know, FCCLA is packed full of amazing opportunities for members to have the Ultimate Leadership Experience, and one of those opportunities is Capitol Leadership!  The National Officers are PUMPED for this year's event, and we hope all of you are as well!

Speaking from personal experience, Captiol Leadership is one of the best events of the year!  Not only do attendees have the opportunity to network with members from across the nation, but they also get to develop leadership and advocacy skills, meet with members of Congress and federal officials and explore the nation's capitol! Capitol Leadership is an awesome experience, and the National Executive Council can't wait to share it with you in exactly one week :).

Now to tell you a little bit about myself.  I'm from the beautiful state of Oklahoma and a proud Oklahoma State Cowboys fan! I love to watch sports and cheer on my team!  I live in Westville, which is a town of about 2,000 people and 3,000 cows ;). Just kidding, but it is a very small community; great things come in small packages! I'm a Junior in high school this year and involved in many activities including NHS, Arvest Leadership Board, Academic Team, Student Council, Cheerleading, FCA, Choir, D-FY, Educational Talent Search, and, of course, the best of all-FCCLA!

My priorities in life can be broken down into three basic categories: 1) Jesus 2) Family 3) Education.  I think that believing in something bigger than yourself, having a good support system, and always looking for opporunities to learn and grow are the keys to success in any situation. I love my life, and I strive to make a difference everyday, whether that be through a smile, a simple act of kindness, or something on a larger scale.  You will rarely find me not smiling or being silly, because I believe that life is too short to be anything but happy.

If you would like to know anything else, please message me on Facebook or email me at tcoates@fcclainc.org-I would love to hear from you!! :) I'm looking forward to a great year, and I encourage all of you to soak up as much FCCLA as you possibly can!  It truly is a life-changing experience, and the more involved you are, the more fun it is!