Holly Nielsen third in the nation for FCCLA project

The chance to go to the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) National Leadership Conference was honor enough. But to be named third in the nation for her community service project in the National Programs in Action category was completely unexpected. Weeks later, Custer High School junior-to-be Holly Nielsen can still hardly believe it. 

Nielsen is the daughter of Karen and Dane Nielsen and has grown up in the Custer Community. She began participating in FCCLA in seventh grade after her advisor roped her and her friends into it. 

“It’s just been a really cool experience. I’ve been really close to qualifying for nationals, like, three years in a row, but this year it actually happened,” said Nielsen. 

Per the website, “FCCLA is a Career and Technical Student Organization that functions as an integral part of the Family and Consumer Sciences education curriculum and operates within the school system. Since 1945, FCCLA members have been making a difference in families, careers and communities by addressing important personal, work and societal issues. Through participation in Competitive Events, becoming involved in community service opportunities, student leadership and attending leadership conferences, members develop real world skills, explore Career Pathways and become college and career ready.” 

Nielsen added that it helps get you ready for adult life so you can be successful. 

“Each year in FCCLA we have the opportunity to host projects. I hosted one that I qualified for nationals with,” said Nielsen. 

In 2025, her project was called Blissful Blooms, and it took four months of planning to prepare. Nielsen’s plan was to host a flower arranging workshop. Then, all the arrangements would be donated to the Custer Care and Rehab Center to bless the residents. 

“My category that I chose to do my project in was national programs in action. So one of the FCCLA national programs is community service, and the goal of that is to improve life in my community. So I think my main overall goal was to improve  lives in my community.”

To make the project possible, Nielsen had to fundraise, get sponsors, make posters, advertise and personally invite people to attend the workshop. She also had to work with the nursing home to plan the delivery and learn about any rules that needed to be followed. 

With the money raised, Nielsen purchased flowers with the help of Carrie Moore, owner of Petals and Pages. 

The workshop took place April 3 at Petals and Pages. Nielsen taught the participants how to arrange the flowers with the help of volunteers. Since there were 35 residents, Nielsen wanted to create 35 arrangements. Registration had to be limited because interest was so high.

Participants were also asked to consider making a free will donation at the workshop for the Custer Care and Rehab Center as well as the Custer FCCLA Chapter. 

When everything was complete, Nielsen competed at the South Dakota FCCLA State Conference in Sioux Falls April 27-29 and received a plaque for first place. 

Nielsen said, “I felt really confident in it. I thought it was going to be good. So I made my speech, and then, I did a board with pictures and stuff. I felt like it was good. And then, I presented that at state in front of two judges. They asked questions and stuff, and it went really good. At state, I got first in my category. So I scored 98 out of 100, which is really good. And I was really happy with that.”

Especially since that’s as far as she expected to go. 

“I thought my project was just good for South Dakota. I didn’t think it would be, like, third place in the nation,” said Nielsen. 

To attend the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., Nielsen needed to raise about $2,500 to pay for travel, registration, food and other expenses. Three other Custer High School students decided to attend the conference as well, although they did not qualify for the national competition. 

They asked businesses to sponsor their trips, and Nielsen sold raffle tickets to win three summer flower arrangements. 

“I chose to raffle off the flowers because it fit with my project. This worked great, and it paid for my whole trip. The money from the business sponsors gave me extra money to use for next year’s project and FCCLA events,” said Nielsen. 

The four students also hosted a free will donation dinner and a silent auction at the VFW. They had Indian tacos, and each student made a gift basket for the silent auctions. Businesses also donated items for the silent auction. In the end, they all successfully raised the funds for their trips. 

“I would like to thank everyone who sponsored me and the other kids. Also, everyone who bought my raffle tickets and came to our dinner and silent auction,” said Nielsen. 

Nielsen’s family flew down early for a vacation in Florida, and then Nielsen was joined by her classmates and her advisor, Jenna Frederick, for the conference July 5-10. 

The conference included things like general sessions, state meetings, workshops, speakers, a college fair, a store, music, a fashion show and competitive events like impromptu speaking and mock interviews. There was also a place where attendees could have professional headshots taken. 

Even though she has two more years of high school, Nielsen’s favorite workshop was on transitioning from your senior year in high school to your freshman year of college. 

“There was also one day they did a showcase day where everybody who was doing these competitive events, like what I was doing, could show off their projects. I didn’t actually do this, because it was a lot competing in my event and then having to show it off to everyone else. But it was really cool to see other people’s stuff. Now the Custer chapter, we have some good ideas for community service projects and fundraisers,” said Nielsen. 

The students also got trading pins to swap with attendees from other states. In total, there were students from 45 states and Puerto Rico attending the conference. 

“It was just unreal. Like, I did not think it was gonna be that cool. It was amazing,” said Nielsen. “It was so fun to go around the conference, meeting other people from around the country. It was great social team building.”

For the national award, Nielsen estimated that she competed against around 150 students from around the country in the level two National Programs in Action category for Community Service. 

The judging process was similar to state. Nielsen presented her project, complete with a flower arrangement similar to the ones made for the nursing home, to three judges. She had to prepare handouts for them, present a speech and then answer questions about her project for around five minutes. Everything is broken into a rubric, which Nielsen used to prepare her presentation. 

On the last day of the conference, the candidates got to walk on stage and the top three places were announced. Nielsen was awarded third place. 

“I don’t even know how I got to the podium. Like, it was just so unreal. I was like, ‘This is not right.’ They announced Custer, and I was like, ‘There’s no way.’ And then they handed me my plaque, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Like, this is mine.’ 

“It was just amazing. I stood up there, and I actually found my advisor, because she had walked up to the front, but it was such a surreal moment. Standing there, I was like, ‘This is not real.’ I don’t know how I forced myself to walk up to that podium. It’s still unbelievable. I’m still like, ‘Oh my gosh, third in the nation.’ Like, it doesn’t seem real,” said Nielsen. 

Nielsen plans to continue participating in FCCLA for the remainder of her high school career and hopes to find a way to participate in a post-secondary program during college.

In reflecting on her journey, Nielsen wants to thank her parents for all of their support.

“They have helped so much and put up with me all the late nights of planning this stuff, specifically my mom, because she helped so much with my actual project,” said Nielsen. “I’m very grateful to have them supporting me and just with everything that had to do with the nationals. Like, I never thought I would be there.” 

Nielsen also wanted to thank her advisor, Jenna Frederick. 

“She has helped so much because I was the only one that qualified for nationals, but she was able to get the other kids to go with me, so I wasn’t alone. She was always there to proofread my stuff. Or if I had any questions about my rubric, she would always be willing to help, which was really good because I would be completely lost on my own,” said Nielsen. 

The community’s pride upon her return was also a surprise to Nielsen. She said people have been stopping her as she walks down the street to congratulate her. Custer School District Board of Education member Corey Virtue even stole the microphone at the wheelbarrow races during Gold Discovery Days to announce her achievement.

“It was just really cool to see how proud everybody else was of me. Like, it was cool to see that my accomplishment was more than just my accomplishment. It was amazing to see that. I was just blown away by how proud everybody else was as well,” said Nielsen.