Student dives headfirst into career exploration

Submitted Photo Olivia Belisle, a freshman at Rugby High School, earned gold in the category “Career Investigations” at the district level Family, Community, Career Leaders of America (FCCLA) event on Feb. 21 in Harvey.
Olivia Belisle, a ninth grade student at Rugby High School, has her sights set on a career in journalism which she is currently exploring through Family, Community, Career Leaders of America (FCCLA). She recently placed first in her Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) event, “Career Investigations.”
Belisle is the daughter of Brekka and Corey Belisle and the family resides in Rugby. Brekka Belisle is a stay-at-home mom who is a part-time substitute teacher at Rugby Public Schools. Corey Belisle a farmer and also works at a local farm insurance company.
Olivia Belisle said she is still learning about FCCLA as it is her first year with the club, but she said it was really fun so far.
Through competitive events, students in FCCLA are encouraged to increase involvement in their communities and learn industry insights and employable skills. Students showcase their findings during competitive STAR events. Belisle said events can be found in an array of topics related to Family and Consumer Science such as cooking, cleaning and to presentations career choices.
Belisle chose to do a deep dive into journalism, a topic she said she had always been interested in. She said she’s a big reader and has always enjoyed writing, saying in fifth grade she started a class newspaper where she interviewed other students.
She and her adviser, Brittany Lovcik, recently reached out to The Pierce County Tribune and requested an opportunity to shadow and assist a reporter through the process of interviewing a subject and writing an article. The article can be found in this week’s edition of the paper.
“I have my eyes set on (journalism) as a future career. So I thought, ‘What better opportunity to learn about it more than this?'” Belisle said.
Outside of STAR events, students in FCCLA can be found volunteering within their communities to build relationships with area professionals.
“I’ve gotten more in touch with my community. We do a lot of volunteering within the community, we help out at local events,” she said.
Belisle’s upcoming state-level competition will be held in April in Bismarck where she will compete against 70-100 other students. If she places, she will have the opportunity to compete at the national level in Seattle, Washington.
Outside of FCCLA, Belisle keeps her schedule busy and is involved in Science Olympiad, student council and “many, many sports.”
Belisle said she enjoys being more involved in Rugby, “It really just opens up a big part of the community that I’ve never seen before.”