Rockwall ISD Fashion Team Sets Record With Six National Qualifiers

Rockwall ISD's fashion design program at Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy hit a district record in Dallas, sending six students to nationals for the first time in program history. Of the 12 students who competed at the Texas FCCLA State Leadership Conference April 9-11 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, 10 earned Top 5 finishes in the state.

Rockwall ISD identified the six national qualifiers as Sophia S., Sophia B., Raleigh M., Breanna We., Kenedy C. and Analeigh P. The district said students earned their spots in the FCCLA National Leadership Conference by placing first or second at state. Three additional students, Milene G., Emma T. and Abby S., also finished in the Top 5, while Lindsay S. and Tyler C. competed in the event.

The six qualifiers surpass the program's previous record of five national qualifiers and extend a recent run of success for a pathway that opened with the Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy in fall 2018. Rockwall ISD said its 2024-2025 fashion design team sent five qualifiers to nationals in Orlando, and its 2023-2024 team placed in the Top 10 nationally in Seattle, including a first-place national finisher. The back-to-back results point to a program that is no longer an outlier in the district's offerings but a consistent producer of state and national-level achievement.

Renee Aube, listed by Rockwall ISD as the Fashion Design teacher at Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy, led the 2026 team. The next stop is Washington, D.C., where FCCLA's 2026 National Leadership Conference is scheduled for July 6-10. For Rockwall County families weighing the value of career and technical education, the results show a pathway that is producing measurable returns: students are competing, placing and advancing at the highest levels while building skills in design, presentation and professional readiness.