By the 2023-2024 Treasurer, Kaylene Patschke
STAR Events are very beneficial in a multitude of ways. You find out what you are interested in doing for a career, for example, learning that you want to go into education after Focus on Children or wanting to go into design after Fashion Design. You could also show service projects completed by your chapter with STAR Events like Chapter Service Project Portfolio, which you could use to help organize that service project in the future. No matter the STAR Event, you are gaining skills relating to planning, organizing, teamwork, and public speaking.
It can be very easy to get a little anxious before presenting your STAR Event, especially if it is your first time. Self-confidence, communication with teammates, and a sense of preparation can help with this to make sure you feel ready before presenting. With less than a month before the 2024 MN State Conference, it is important that you go over certain parts of the STAR Event to work towards a national advancement or a gold level. Looking over your STAR Event’s rubric is a great way to do this, especially your rubric from your area’s midwinter competition. Look to see if you are allowed and able to make changes to your project in order to get all the possible points.
Communicate with your team if any changes are made, so no one is surprised by anything. It would also be a great idea at this time to practice going over the STAR Event like you would if there was a judge right in front of you. Doing this in front of your advisor could help a lot, as they might have advice to help you improve as well. To prepare for some questions, it would help to take time to connect your project to about two of the purposes and National Programs of FCCLA. You can find these purposes and National Programs in the Handbook or on the National FCCLA Website.
Finally, as we get closer to the MN State Conference, be sure to review the time you will be judged for your STAR Event. This schedule typically comes out about a week before the conference. When you arrive and have free time, it would be a good idea to find where you are presenting so you know where to go when the actual time comes. It is also a good idea to arrive about a half hour early in case they are running ahead of schedule and just to give yourself one last chance to go over everything before you present. Good luck!
