And… Here We Go Candidates!

Submitted By: Madeline Wittstruck, NE FCCLA 2018-2019 First Vice President

Hey Nebraska FCCLA! I hope you had a fantastic break with family and friends. It was nice to finally have a break and spend quality time with the people I love the most. Now with the stress of 2018 off our shoulders, it’s time to conquer this year’s challenges! Some of you have already taken a challenge on by applying to be part of the State Peer Officer Team or the State Officer Team. (Just a reminder that State Officer applications are due the 15th!)

Finishing the application part of this process is a huge success! The next step in your journey is the Nebraska FCCLA Peer Education Conference held in Kearney, NE or the FCS Legislative Workshop in Lincoln, NE. State officer candidates will attend the Legislative Workshop and take a FCCLA knowledge test and go through two rounds of interviews. There will be an elimination of candidates through a letter drop at this event. The existing candidates will move on to the rounds at State Leadership Conference. At the Peer Education Conference, SPOT candidates will be informed of their speech topic, which they will be given at the 2019 State Leadership Conference. SPOT finalists will be recognized as such during this event. No eliminations will be made at this conference for SPOT candidates. Their next step for both teams’ candidates will be at State Leadership Conference in Lincoln, NE.

State Peer Officer candidates and State Officer candidates will be extremely busy during SLC! Prepare your speeches and do a practice interview. Also, make sure to get plenty of sleep beforehand, because you won’t get a lot during the conference! It’s a very busy and productive time, but no matter the outcome, you’ll be thankful you ran.

During opening sessions at SLC, State Officer candidates will announce themselves on stage and give a 2-3 sentence speech on an assigned topic. On Monday, they will give a 2-3 minute speech (with an assigned topic) and participate in a fishbowl with other candidates in front of voting delegates. There will then be a letter drop determining whether you are a part of the State Officer Team or not Monday night.

State Peer Officer candidates will give a speech to three judges based on the topic they were assigned at the Peer Education Conference. The same judges will then interview the candidates. Also, a new thing taking place at SLC this year is the test portion for becoming a Peer Officer. This will occur sometime during SLC, but a specific time is not determined yet. A letter drop will be held later, determining if you have made the team.

Again, congratulations for already completing the application! That is a huge success in itself. I wish you the best on your run for office, and hope it goes smoothly. I also hope this has helped answer some questions you might have about the process! Good luck!