Hennen among FCCLA state officers attending recent council meeting

Kate Hennen, a senior at Minneota High School and the current Minnesota Family, Career and Community Leaders (FCCLA) Chapter President, attended the program’s executive council meeting Jan. 7-8 at the newly-obtained FCCLA State Conference location in Minneapolis.
Hennen, the daughter of Martin and Laura Hennen, is also the Minnesota State FCCLA Vice President of Public Relations.
Minneota Food and Consumer Science teacher LeaAnne Bot, the Advisor of the Minneota FCCLA Chapter and State Officer Advisor, also attended the meeting, utilizing her FCCLA expertise and creativity to bring fresh ideas to the table for the upcoming State Conference.
The Executive Council met to discuss and plan important upcoming events, including Capitol Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Regionals (Mid-Winter Meetings/Region Competitions), FCCLA week in February, and the primary focus of the 2022-23 State Conference.
Because of the pandemic, this year’s State Conference will be the first in-person conference since 2019, and is planned to be attended by 2,000 young leaders from across the state.
The state theme, inspired by the recent movie Top Gun: Maverick, is “Soar2Success” One Team. One Mission. The goals promoted by the theme are: Soar Beyond Your Limitations, Persevere Through Turbulence, and Fly As One. The theme revolves around not only the famous movie, but also FCCLA’s mission to promote personal growth and leadership development.
FCCLA provides various opportunities for members to expand their leadership potential and develop skills for life planning, goal setting, problem solving, decision making, and interpersonal communication; all necessary in both the home and workplace.
Service is an important piece of FCCLA and can be noted through various programs and projects put on by FCCLA throughout the year, but members also have their fair share of competitionComing up on Jan. 18, the southwest area will hold Mid-Winter Regionals where members will present their STAR Events and get evaluated, hoping to secure their spot at the State Conference March 26-28.
Following the Executive Council meeting, Hennen, Bot and other state officers and advisors attended MN FCCLA Capitol Day on Jan. 9. The Minnesota state officer team, along with other members from across the state, gathered at the State Capitol and toured the Governor’s office and dining room, and the Senate and House of Representatives chambers.
Members also attended a short program presented by the state officer team with an appearance from three speakers, including a representative from Congress and non-profit advocates.
"The overall message presented was to really be involved in your community by educating yourself on who your leaders truly are; dig deep into what they stand for and what they are willing to do for the community, and further involve yourself in community issues and participate in all ways possible, especially through service acts," said Hennen. "Another impactful message I took away specifically from the Congress rep was that we need to use our voices now to create a better place for next generations, even with the knowledge that our generation will not benefit."
After the short program, members completed a short, but moving service project thanking veterans for their service by writing postcards to send out.