The Alliance Chapter of FCCLA attended Capital Leadership and National Fall Conference last week, November 4 through the 7. Twenty members, four chaperones and Mrs. Elliott went on this trip to Washington D.C. 

On November 4, members flew from Scottsbluff to Denver, then Denver to Washington D.C. They arrived late afternoon that day and went to eat dinner at Union Station on Capitol Hill. They then attended a session that discussed advocacy and provided advice for the next day.

The following day, members were part of a group photo at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial with all attendees of the conference from across the nation. They then were able to speak to Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer’s aide to advocate for FCCLA and FCS. In other years, members would have been able to go into the capitol building to speak with these representatives, but due to Covid-19 restrictions it had to be done via zoom. Only a few members spoke, but all that attended were able to listen to the zoom meeting. When the meeting was over, members had the afternoon to sightsee and visit whichever monuments or museums they wished to. Some members attended the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, others attended the National Art museum and some visited numerous monuments and memorials including the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and the World War II Memorial. A group dinner was eaten at the Cheesecake Factory when everyone was done with their tours. Later that night, members attended the opening session of National Leadership Conference and got to hear from national officers, as well as an extremely entertaining keynote speaker.

On Saturday, each member attended one of four different sessions of their choosing. One was about self care, another was about community service and the other two were about social media and membership. Members were also able to listen to a collegiate panel as well as a career pathway panel. Afterwards, they attended the closing session and listened to the National officers thank everyone for attending, followed by an inspiring keynote speaker who spoke about her perseverance through life. They ended the night with a moonlight tour and were driven around our Nation’s Capital in order to see some of the most famous buildings and memorials. They were able to stop at the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

Attendees traveled home the next day. Overall, the trip was an amazing experience for all who attended. The skills gained from this trip will help make the Alliance FCCLA Chapter even better!