Hello Oregon FCCLA,

I recently had the great privilege to attend the 2013 FCCLA Capitol Leadership.

Not only was the conference a huge success, but it was also one of the largest Capitol Leaderships in recent years.

While attending the conference I was able to network with other leaders from all over the nation, volunteer at the Arlington Street People Assistance Network, and take part in trainings that helped me become ready to advocate for FCCLA to my representatives and their staff.

During my time in Virginia and Washington, D.C., I experienced the first day of the government shutdown. This made our experience more interesting.  Because of the shutdown, I didn’t get a “normal” visit to D.C. I was able to see how fast our government can change, and even witnessed citizens exercising their freedom of speech by protesting around Capitol Hill. I was also able to go into the Senate gallery and watch Senators speak on the government shutdown. This allowed me to see how our nation leaders decide on issues that affect their constituents.

All in all it was a trip that I would never want to take back. It’s my personal opinion to suggest that you attend next years Capitol Leadership, October 12th-15th, 2014.

Joey Vanek

State President