Students from the Culinary Arts program at Eastland Career Center placed highly and had much to celebrate following the 2024 FCCLA National Leadership Conference.
Nine students from the Culinary Arts program at Eastland Career Center had the opportunity to travel to Seattle, Wash. for the 2024 FCCLA National Leadership Conference, where they brought home multiple national placements and celebrated nearly $50,000 in scholarship funds being awarded.
Rising senior Hannah Wilson (Bloom-Carroll) headlined the list of top placements among ECC students, finishing third in the nation and earning a bronze medal in the Baking & Pastry event.
Five students, including Wilson, placed inside the top 10, nationally, in their respective events.
Emaleigh Arcand (Gr., Groveport Madison) - Hospitality, Tourism, & Recreation Challenge; 6th overall
Journey Morris (Sr., Liberty Union) - Pastry Technical Decorating, 7th overall
Gracie Horton (Sr., Pickerington Central) - Consumer Math Challenge, 7th overall
Adam Fazekas (Sr., Reynoldsburg) - Nutrition Challenge, 9th overall
Emaleigh Arcand had the opportunity to compete in two events. She was also a top-20 finisher at the Job Interview event.
Three students placed inside the top 25 in their respective events, including Aiden Maynard (Gr, Gahanna Lincoln, Culinary Arts), Stephany Albino (Sr., Whitehall-Yearling, Food Innovations), and Jaela Armstead (Sr., Whitehall-Yearling, Food Innovations).
While event competitions typically take center stage at the FCCLA National Leadership Conference, scholarship and leadership were also celebrated over the course of the week. Hannah Wilson was awarded a $20,000 scholarship while Stephany Albino and Jaela Armstead were both awarded scholarships of $15,000.
Adam Fazekas made a name for himself as a member of the state leadership team, representing Ohio as FCCLA’s first Vice President. As part of his responsibilities, he helped run state meetings, award sessions, and additional leadership workshop sessions throughout the week. Journey Morris, Kathryn Blowers, and Gracie Horton represented Ohio’s Region 3 as executive council members.
About FCCLA
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a national Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for students in Family and Consumer Sciences education in public and private schools through grade 12. FCCLA offers intra-curricular resources and opportunities for students to pursue careers that support families. Since 1945, FCCLA members have been making a difference in their families, careers, and communities by addressing important personal, work, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. Today, more than 155,000 members from 4,253 chapters are active in a network of associations in 47 states, including Puerto Rico.