From March 19 to March 20, over seventy Edison Eagles competed at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) New Jersey State Leadership Conference (SLC) at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Cherry Hill. Students competed in various events, ranging from fashion design to sports nutrition, demonstrating their technical and presentation skills.

“The options in the state events vary from fashion all the way to international foods. I love how you can choose any event that reflects your interests or hobbies,” said Vaishnavi Bhatt ‘27.

Students competed in both state-level and Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) events. STAR events are competitive events that also compete at the national level at the FCCLA National Leadership Conference (NLC). Typically, for most events, if students/teams place in the top two for a STAR event, they qualify for the 2025 National Leadership Conference. Edison soared at SLC, with seventy-one medalists across all the events, including thirty-four NLC qualifiers. Additionally, EHS had fifteen state medalists and 56 total STAR event medalists, listed below.

“I’m really proud of the entire chapter and all of their hard work,” said Ms. Kathleen Ellis, co-advisor of EHS’ FCCLA chapter. “It was really satisfying to see Edison High keep appearing and being announced during awards, and I’m just really proud of all of them.”

The successes seen at SLC were representative of the students’ hard work and dedication in preparation for their presentations and competitive events.

“When we stood in line waiting for the results, we never expected to hear our names called for first place gold,” said Hareem Sohail ‘25, “It was a surreal and unforgettable moment that made everything worth it. All the time, effort, and late nights we put into perfecting our presentation paid off, and qualifying for NLC felt like a huge reward for our hard work and teamwork.”

While students were immersed in presentation preparation or their competitions, SLC also provided competitors with the opportunity to engage in workshops and other activities during the conference.

“The workshops were super fun, and I enjoyed listening to the guest speakers and looking at the cake decorating. There were even activities to help inspire yourself and channel your leadership skills, which is a beneficial experience for all members. Being able to help plan these events with my state council members and also experience them was amazing,” said Pragya Bhatia ‘26, EHS liaison to the State Executive Council (SEC), and the First Vice President of the New Jersey FCCLA State Chapter.

Additionally, SLC enabled both students and advisors alike to bond and socialize with one another.

“Our chapter is quite large, and there were a lot of kids that I didn’t quite know well. It was nice to have time to know some of our participants better and engage with them,” said Ellis.

“One of the most meaningful parts for me was hearing everyone’s stories—learning what inspired them to join FCCLA and how their journeys brought them to the conference. I really enjoyed being able to meet such a diverse group of students from different places across the state,” said Sohail.

For many competitors, SLC serves as an event to reflect on for the following year. Many students use SLC to understand what worked and what didn’t, and the changes they should make in the following year when competing in FCCLA to aim to qualify for NLC.

“This year was my first year competing in high school FCCLA. Reflecting on my experience, it was definitely challenging, but super rewarding, and I learned a lot of competing. I’m ready to challenge myself even more next year and compete in a STAR event,” said Bhatt.

For seniors, SLC and NLC 2025 mark the end of an era— the end of their high school FCCLA journey. Many seniors reflect on their high school FCCLA career and their competition journey.

“Although I joined FCCLA in my junior year, the impact it’s had on me has been truly meaningful,” said Sohail, “As a senior looking back, I honestly wish I had joined earlier. FCCLA pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow personally and professionally. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye, but I’m incredibly grateful for the experience and everything it’s taught me.”

For the many NLC qualifiers, however, the next step is preparing for the National Leadership Conference (NLC), which will take place from July 5 to 9 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. With NLC just a few months away, qualifiers are excited for the next step in their FCCLA journey.

“I had an amazing experience at NLC last year, which is why I am excited for NLC again this year. This year, we are going to have around 20 people going, which is great as we’ll have a lot more students from our chapter at the conference. I’m really excited to meet new people and support my fellow members and state council members at NLC!” said Bhatia.

State Medalists:
Rachel Kou ‘27, Leilah Yap ‘27, Shravanti Sucindran ‘27 – Storybook Ethics; 1st place gold (perfect score)
Vaishnavi Bhatt ‘27 , Arpita Singh ‘27, Gauri Girdhar ‘27 – International Foods; 1st place gold (perfect score)
Thalia Little ‘26 – Yarn Art; 1st place gold (perfect score)
Ritik Gera ‘26, Mehak Patel ‘26 – Toys that Teach; 1st place gold
Mihika Date ‘28 – Yarn Art; 2nd place gold
Sanjit Mandava ‘26, Anna Weng ‘26 – Food Truck Feud; 3rd place gold
Pragya Bhatia ‘26 – Fashion Runway – Eveningwear; Gold medal
Hailey Klechevsky ‘25- Fashion Runway – Businesswear; Silver medal

STAR Medalists and NLC Qualifiers:

Mahita Devarakonda ‘27, Hasini Vummaji ‘27 – Event Management; 1st place gold (perfect score) **
Adit Patel ‘26 , Om Patel ‘26 , Keshav Patel ‘27 – Entrepreneurship; 1st place gold**
Pragya Bhatia ‘26, Aashi Tamboli ‘26, Keya Patel ‘26 – Event Management; 1st place gold**
Stuti Shah ‘25, Saira Mohid ‘26, Shriya Bhaumik ‘26 – Professional Presentation; 1st place gold**
Kallyn Saavedra Lopez ‘26 – Fashion Construction; 1st place gold**
Arya Krishnan ‘27, Yashvi Mangrolia ‘27 – Focus on Children; 1st place gold**
Tanush Kandpal ‘27, Akshat Dubey ‘27, Nischal Talugala ‘27 – Interpersonal Communications; 1st place gold**
Duaa Majid ‘26, Riya Pathak ‘26, Avanthika Singiri ‘26 – Sports Nutrition ; 1st place gold**
Rudra Patel ‘26, Hareem Sohail ‘25 – Interpersonal Communications; 1st place gold**
Jia Desai ‘28, Janvi Patel ‘27, Nalini Parekh ‘27 – Sports Nutrition ; 1st place gold**
Fotima Alieva ‘27 – Fashion Construction; 2nd place gold**
Sandhya Jain ‘26, Aleeyah Leon ‘25, Nevval Ozen ‘25- Sports Nutrition ; 2nd place gold
Abdullah Mustensir ‘27, Youseff Abdelsalam ‘27 – Sports Nutrition ; 2nd place gold**
Faiza Ahmed ‘25, Araniee Sothilingam ‘25 – Focus on Children; 3rd place gold
Rucha Deshmukh ‘26, Annalise Dantes ‘26, Tamseel Momin ‘26 – Sports Nutrition ; 3rd place gold
Janvi Mangrolia ‘26, Aneri Patel ‘26, Siya Bhuteja ‘26 – Food Innovations; Gold Medal
Priscilla Samuel ‘25 – Fashion Construction; Gold Medal
Eshan Jhaveri ‘27, Yashasvi Kompella ‘27, Kavan Malaviya ‘27 – Hospitality, Tourism, Recreation; 1st place silver**
Rayan Pervaiz ‘27, Krish Saini ‘27 – Entrepreneurship; Silver medal
Aanya Jariwala ‘26, Dhruvi Patel ‘26 – Hospitality, Tourism, Recreation; Silver medal
Rishitha Jambula ‘27, Saanvi Vykaranam ‘26, Yashaswini Repeka ‘27- Entrepreneurship; Silver medal
Rishan Kunadharaju ‘25, Sarvesh Premkumaar ‘25 , Rishikesh Venkateshwararaja ‘25 – Hospitality, Tourism, Recreation; Silver Medal**
Gauri Chandrahasan ‘25, Karishma Kawle ‘25 – Nutrition and Wellness; Silver Medal
Siddhi Dongre ‘27, Tara Mansukhani ‘27 – Fashion Design ; Bronze Medal


NOTE: “**” denotes NLC Qualifier