Aurora Student Elected To State Officer Team

Press release from East Aurora School District 131:

June 8, 2020

For East High School junior Lesly Mendoza, her hard work during the pandemic has paid off, big time.

Mendoza was recently elected to the state officer team for the Illinois Association of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

Mendoza was one of six individuals from across the state elected to serve. The officer team will serve for the next school year will represent nearly 3,000 FCCLA members statewide.

Mendoza considers the position a tremendous accomplishment, and believes her hard work has paid off. “I never really thought I had a chance to win, but actually I did try super hard and when things got hard, like managing my schedule … I didn’t give up.”

Mendoza believes the experience she will gain from being an officer will provide her with more confidence with whatever she decides to do in her future. “I am currently undecided with what I want to major in, so maybe being a part of this team will help me find a passion.”

The newly-elected team has been holding virtual meetings and training sessions since their election on May 18. Depending on the pandemic status, state officers, along with their chapter advisers, will attend a three-day training in Springfield this August. The face-to-face training will include instruction on public speaking, parliamentary procedure, and team-building activities.

Kristin Doucette, an East High School F.A.C.S. Teacher and FCCLA Adviser, was elated to learn that Lesly was elected.

“Lesly has been working hard since fall to be elected to the state officer position. She was also elected secretary to our FCCLA chapter 2019-2020 school year,” said Doucette.

Doucette said that Mendoza took on additional responsibility other than her position, helping to recruit additional members, develop brochures, and help mentor new FCCLA students. When the pandemic hit, Mendoza was able to change her campaign from an in-person to online, without any help.

“Lesly is the one of the first students I thought would be capable of maintaining the responsibilities of a state officer position while still excelling at East,” said Doucette. “I know she will excel in this position and represent East High to the best of her abilities.”

As part of the state officer team, Mendoza will attend the Virtual FCCLA National Leadership Conference July 7-9. During the virtual conference, state officers will represent Illinois as voting delegates, attend general sessions, and sessions concerning today’s youth issues. Members of the Illinois officer team will also network with other state officers from across the country. The team will attend a virtual seminar for Illinois Career & Technical Organization State Officers on July 22-24, which will focus on advocacy and how to promote career and technical education.

Because Illinois Association of FCCLA is a youth-led organization, state officers are responsible for planning and implementing all the state-sponsored events and conferences that take place during the school year.

East Aurora has a strong legacy with FCCLA. The East Aurora chapter had state officers consecutively from the 1992-93 school year through the 1996-97 school year, and then again in 2000-01 and 2001-02. Mendoza is the first state officer from East High since the 2001-02 school year.

About FCCLA

FCCLA is a 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 more than 180,000 members and nearly 6,000 chapters from 48 state associations, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The organization has involved more than ten million youth since its founding in 1945.

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America is unique among youth organizations because its programs are planned and run by members. It is the only career and technical in-school student organization with the family as its central focus. Participation in national programs and chapter activities helps members become strong leaders in their families, careers, and communities.

This press release was produced by East Aurora School District 131. The views expressed here are the author’s own.