With CEO Program, Students Begin the Journey of a Lifetime
While most high school students are thinking about school supplies, classes and extracurriculars, White County CEO students are thinking about what it looks like to start and run their own business.
On August 16 our community will begin its third CEO program year, along with 42 CEO communities across the Midwest.
This is just the first in a series of steps to help cultivate real life skills in our community’s young people and to enter them into a national net- work of high caliber, young leaders.
“CEO” stands for Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities. It is a year-long, experiential learning-based course that uses community relationships to provide an overview of business processes and development for junior and seniors in high schools.
Throughout the program year, students from both Carmi White County and Norris City Omaha Enfield High Schools, will get up early to attend their CEO Program at a local business before their school day starts.
This year’s students include William Pugsley, Gaetano DiMaggio, Alissa Hampton, Dakota Fleck, Claire Shepard, Tyler Hoskins and Courtney McKay from CWCHS. Students from NCOE include Kristina Richards, Laney Cawthron, Baylee Sutton, Rebecca Westbrook and Laura Beth Martin.
“We don’t call this ’going to class,‘” says CEO community member and Midland Institute employee, Amy Tarr, “We call it ‘going to work’.” (The Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship is the organization that supports communities across the United States as they build and grow CEO Pro- grams.)
Throughout the program students visit local businesses, learn from guest speakers, participate in operating a class business, write a business plan, and, from concept to reality, build their own legal, functioning business.
Ultimately, our goal is to prepare young people to enter into life after high school in a unique and tangible way. We seek to prepare them with a strong network in their community, a wealth of business knowledge, and the skills necessary to better face the future.
And, all along the way, allowing them to participate in the experience of a lifetime.
Do you want to get involved? Simply visit our website www.whitecountyceo.com to contact our facilitator today.