North Sevier High School Students Brek Christiansen, Macie Bosshardt and Jake Shelley had the opportunity to represent the high school, the community and the state of Utah as they attended the National Conferences for FCCLA and Educators Rising. FCCLA and Educators Rising are Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) that offer students the opportunities to develop skills and knowledge, build leadership qualities, and provide service, while pursuing their education toward a meaningful career. “Macie is a state officer for Educators Rising while Brek is a state officer for FCCLA; both young ladies represent our small community in a big way and will help in planning activities and
building relationships across the state for the 2024-25 school year,” said advisor Coylene Brinkerhoff. “They also have the opportunity to represent Utah at events such as their respective National Conferences. Jake has been a state office for Educators Rising for the past two years and competed in the Teach or Train category in FCCLA this year. He won the opportunity to compete in Seattle, Washington. He graduated this year and has moved Orem to attend UVU and utilize the skills he’s been building at North Sevier High School.
Brek said of the trip to Washington DC and Seattle, Washington: “We did a tremendous amount of sightseeing, visiting many of the monuments on the Mall, along with experiencing Gettysburg and Arlington Cemetery. While at the conference we attended multiple workshops and meetings. Macie and I competed, at the national level, in the Ethical Dilemma category. After the Educators Rising conference, we flew from Washington D.C. to Seattle Washington where we attended the FCCLA national conference. While we were in Seattle, we were able to visit the Space Needle, Pikes Market, Chihuly Garden, and much more. At this conference we were able to attend breakout workshops and general sessions where I learned a lot about leadership and the difference that FCCLA has made in so many students’ lives! I think that one of the coolest and most impactful parts of our trip was seeing the thousands of students from around the country who are extremely driven and have made an impact through career and technical student organizations.”
Macie said of her experience: “This trip was such a cool experience! Because I am a Utah State Officer for Educators Rising, I was super excited to go to nationals. This conference had speakers that gave very meaningful messages for future teachers. They made me even more inspired and excited to be a teacher! I loved being in DC and being able to see all the historic sites that I have learned about in my history classes. In Seattle we got to do many fun events. My favorite would be the space needle. I was feeling very brave that day and I laid against the glass! One thing that stood out was that on every street, you could always see a red coat (FCCLA uniform) which was so cool considering how large Seattle is!
“We truly are so blessed to have the career and technical student organizations that are offered at North Sevier High School,” said Brinkerhoff. “Through each organization students are able to become better prepared for the future and their career paths along with simply improving personal attributes. We are so lucky and grateful to have incredible mentors at our school that help to provide these opportunities for us!”
