Heritage High School Culinary Arts student Caleb Mink recently attended the National FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) Leadership Conference in Anaheim, Calif. Caleb earned the privilege to compete in the National STAR Events by winning first place at the Virginia FCCLA Leadership and Recognition Conference in Virginia Beach in April where he competed in the Applied Math for Culinary Arts Event. In this event, Caleb took a test of Culinary Math problems, gave a five-minute presentation to the judges about Yield Percent, responded to judges questions, and responded to a list of case studies involving culinary math. Caleb came home from Anaheim with a silver medal in this event.
The National FCCLA Conference had over 7000 students from every state and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands attending. Caleb had the opportunity to attend the Franklin Covey Leadership Academy & Career Exploration Workshops, network with students and advisors from across the nation, and sharpen his skills through STAR Events competition. Caleb was also able to visit Disneyland, Hollywood, and Santa Monica Beach as part of conference activities. FCCLA’s slogan “The Ultimate Leadership Experience” is a reality for Caleb as he was able to travel from Coast to Coast to develop and sharpen his leadership skills. “I had an amazing experience,” says Caleb. “I went to workshops such as Franklin Covey Leadership Academy where I learned how to find, use, and sustain my own voice. I also met and made valuable connections with people both from other parts of Virginia and other parts of the country.”
This experience was made possible with the support of the Lynchburg City Schools Education Foundation, staff at Heritage High School, and other contributions.
