Carthage FCCLA Earns National 1st Place Career Connection Award

The Carthage High School & Carthage Technical Center FCCLA Chapter has been named the 2026 National 1st Place High School Career Connection Award winner, a prestigious honor presented by Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and sponsored by Goodheart-Wilcox Publisher.

FCCLA is a national student organization with more than 260,000 members and over 5,300 chapters across the country. Through Family and Consumer Sciences education, FCCLA helps students develop leadership skills while addressing real-world personal, family, and community challenges. What makes FCCLA unique is that its programs are student-led, giving members the opportunity to take ownership of projects that prepare them for success in their careers and beyond.

The Career Connection Award recognizes chapters that design and implement impactful career readiness initiatives. As the national first-place recipient, the Carthage chapter will receive a $1,000 award and be recognized at the 2026 FCCLA National Leadership Conference, held July 6–10, 2026.

Carthage earned this recognition for its project, “Connecting CTC Seniors to Careers Through Mock Interviews,” which launched the inaugural CTC Senior Mock Interview Day on December 16, 2025. Held at the Tiger Activity Center, the full-day event provided 370 seniors with hands-on interview experience through partnerships with approximately 25 local employers. In total, 414 participants, including students, staff, and employers, were involved.

The event was organized by 20 FCCLA members and aligned with FCCLA’s national Career Connection program, specifically the “My Career” unit. Students coordinated all aspects of the experience, including developing promotional materials, sharing resume and interview tips, supporting career counselors with classroom preparation, and helping peers build elevator pitches and professional communication skills.

This innovative, student-led effort created a meaningful real-world learning experience, helping seniors build confidence and develop the skills needed for workforce entry and long-term success.