Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) students in the teacher education sequence presented at the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Fall Conference Tuesday, October 29, at the Chateau Hotel and Conference Center.
Professor Sally Arnett-Hartwick’s students presented “Why Choose ISU?” and “Why Choose FCS at ISU?” to high school students and teachers from Central Illinois.
Angela Gentile and Melissa Regan, both senior Family and Consumer Sciences teacher education students, created a presentation compiling information from all of their classmates. Gentile spoke about the journey that led to her choosing Illinois State, and her great experience as a student in FCS. Regan shared how she selected her major while also speaking about her participation in FCCLA as a high school student and about her current status as a Professional Development School intern at Normal West High School.
Regan enjoyed connecting with high school students over a shared interest of family and consumer sciences. “It was also extremely rewarding when students gave positive feedback about our presentation,” Regan said. “As long as one student left the conference taking something away from our presentation, I was happy.”
Gentile said the best part was being able to reflect upon and share her experience at Illinois State, while also advocating for it. “I cannot believe how fast time flies,” Gentile said. “I feel like I was just sitting in their seats. To be able to be in front of the students and share my knowledge and passion was a great experience. I loved being able to answer questions. Helping students toward furthering their education is very rewarding.”
Both Gentile and Regan hope to attend the conference in the future when they start their careers as family and consumer sciences teachers.
