What started as a class project turned into a challenge for two students competing in the Region III Leadership Conference for the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). After weeks of preparation, and an unexpected last-minute redesign, Aly Meyers (10) and Emma Lucatero’s (10) earned second place in the interior design level two category, securing a spot at the state competition in April.
“FCCLA is like an organization that has many different groups, so you can compete in many different things, like there’s classes for interior design,” Lucatero said. “There’s stuff for culinary and like future leaders in education.”
The challenge given to them was to design a functional home within strict parameters.
“We had to design a 900-square-foot house with a bedroom, kitchen, dining area, bathroom, laundry room, and a 250-square-foot backyard,” Meyers said. “We also had to pick a theme, and we chose ‘Inside Out’ because we felt that was going to bring us the best results.”
However, just a week before competition day, they realized they had overlooked an important rule that could make or break their opportunities of advancing in the competition.
“We were building a two-story house, and then we found out that you can’t have two stories,” Meyers said. “You can’t have stairs. We had to redo everything last-minute, and it was really stressful, but […] we were able to figure it out.”
Despite the setback, their creativity, adaptability, and determination carried them to a top placement, proving that they can remain successful under pressure. Many are wishing them luck as the state competition in Dallas is quickly approaching.
“If you want to have fun and you’re looking for something to occupy your time because you’re bored, do it,” Meyers said. “Just don’t wait until the last minute—otherwise, you’ll be in the hotel working on it the night before competition.”