“Barriers Mean Growth”: How Timpview’s FCCLA Students Learn to Lead through Service

November 13th, 2024 /
Spencer Tuinei /
CTE, News, Schools, Secondary Schools, Timpview High

FCCLA students have built a legacy of hands-on service, transforming simple materials into real change. We sat down with Timpview FCCLA students ahead of their November service project—building teddy bears for refugees through the Dolls of Hope organization—to discuss their recent community trunk-or-treat project, examine how they’ve built a staggering team of eighty members, and learn about the lifelong skills and takeaways earned through FCCLA.

For those unfamiliar, FCCLA is a national student organization that helps young men and women become leaders to address important personal, family, work, and societal issues through family and consumer sciences education.

With branches in family development, career readiness, community advocacy, and personal growth, FCCLA opens pathways in areas like entrepreneurship, public speaking, project management, and community service; FCCLA transforms young students into culinary innovators, brand strategists, inspiring leaders, and so much more.

But it’s not just about post-grad skills; our FCCLA students build bridges and lift kids in the classroom, at school, at home and abroad.

As we mentioned, FCCLA students have a long heritage of hands-on service– we’ve covered a few of Timpview FCCLA’s previous service projects:

Sanding and oiling toy cars for families in need
Kickstarting Timpview’s recycling initiative, moving from no recycling to approximately 150 metric gallons recycled weekly
Hosting a school-wide soup day to entice students to visit and deliver canned food to Ukrainian refugees
Assembling hygiene kits for girls worldwide
Stitching quilts for Afghan refugees

And more. Clearly, FCCLA is part of the durable fabric of Timpview High—we believe they’re emblematic of what makes Provo so great: a willingness to gather and grow in mind and body through service.

All of this is to say that we are proud of our FCCLA students and their achievements. With every event, our students build up our community and grow as leaders. And that comes through service projects and events, like this year’s community Trunk-or-Treat, hosted at Edgemont Elementary.

Reflecting on their latest Trunk-or-Treat, Dayton Ferriss explained that they wanted to iterate on last year’s Trunk-or-Treat and improve processes.

“This year, we wanted things to be more organized. We planned out parking, set up stamp cards to avoid candy shortages, and thought through where every car would go.” The effort paid off, creating a smoother event that allowed all kids to join in the fun without running out of treats.

Looking forward, Timpview FCCLA is planning on their Thanksgiving event; members will craft teddy bears for refugees by hand while watching Charlie Brown. “We want all our members to feel welcome,” said Edna Carabantes.

For many, the skills gained through FCCLA are life-changing. “I learned time management,” shared Maria Mateaki. “At first, I thought I could put things off, but as deadlines came closer, I had to pick up the pace and ensure my work was still quality.”

Rachel Ryu added, “It’s a balance—I’ve learned public speaking, organizing, and scheduling, especially with eighty members, and it’s continuing to grow; I’m constantly thinking about communication, too. Like, ‘What’s the best way to get this message across to many students with the best intentions, and what’s the most efficient way to do that?'”

Edna Carabantes reflected on her journey with public speaking and leadership: “My advisors always tell me, ‘You’re representing the state,’ so I have to look presentable and stay on schedule. Once you do, speaking in front of a classroom or even your state just gets easier.”

Youjin Bann echoed this sentiment, sharing how FCCLA competitions have pushed her to stay consistent and build long-term commitment. “Our projects aren’t just simple school assignments—they’re big, year-round commitments that test and build up our skills,” she said.

Abbigail Kelley has gained invaluable experience in organization and meeting deadlines. “Learning public speaking and leadership skills has been huge for me,” she said. “I gained a lot of leadership skills from that experience, having to meet deadlines and put information together. I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my competitions. I also learned how organized you have to be to do these projects.

Summing up FCCLA’s impact, John Schefer added, “This year, FCCLA feels worlds apart from last year. We’ve learned how to push, plan, and keep working together, and it’s made us stronger.”

And Dayton noted that he’s learned an often overlooked skill, but an essential, lifelong skill just the same: resilience. “I’ve had to learn how to handle failure and use it to improve. Barriers mean growth.”

Through each project, FCCLA students take ownership of their roles and grow through service. We thank them for making Provo a wonderful place to live and look forward to their projects and competition performances.