The performance review with experienced professional adults was one of the most fruitful days in CEO for me so far. I learned that people skills are one of the most essential traits to employers that are looking for a new hire. I was happy to hear that because I would personally rate my people skills highly! Dr. Mark Hanson, the superintendent of Eastland, said that culture is a function of expectations. That statement really made me think about how in my life I have always had expectations that I had to live up to. For example, if I have a test tomorrow then my parents automatically expect me to do well on it. That changes my culture for the night into a studious environment in order to fulfill my expectations. The expectations also change other factors such as whether or not I will visit friends, or even if I have time for an adequate amount of sleep. That statement can be applied to almost any scenario, whether it is a business environment, social gathering, or school. From the Walmart Distribution Center, Lance Buser showed us how to efficiently get interviewed: a skill I am going to need soon! My brother is applying for colleges as a senior now, and he is having multiple interviews which only makes me think about next year when I will go to interviews. Dressing up, showing up ahead of time, and answering the questions without rambling are the most important skills I learned from Lance. I have never really thought about how to get interviewed so I’m grateful to learn from an interviewer himself! Deana Jones from Wahl Clipper reinforced the idea of how important people skills are but with a different aspect. She explained how the atmosphere at Wahl is very admirable - everybody respects everybody. Respect to others, themselves, and property is one of the most important skills that Wahl looks for in new hires; I would love to work in a company that values respect as much as Wahl does. At the end of the day, I was reflecting on what I had experienced and I realized how lucky I am for these opportunities CEO gives me. Not only was I able to meet with these busy people and learn from them, but I was also able to be treated like a professional. Lance, Mark, and Deana all had respect for each and individual student and did not treat us as the typical “adult to teenager” stereotype does. Being able to converse using their first names, and having a profuse conversation about their businesses was incredible. I can’t wait for the next time that we will be treated like this is - which will be the next class day!

02/18/2018

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new” -Albert Einstein. That quote, presented to us by Jason Roe, was the most relatable and defining quote that I had ever heard in my life. Jason Roe, owner of Culver’s in Princeton, Dixon, and Rock Falls, had plenty of wisdom that he shared with the class on Wednesday that I’ve never heard anyone else say, but that quote had the largest effect on me personally. For example, I would see many people bragging about how they got an A+ on a test or in a class, but the class is so easy that it shouldn’t even be giving credit to students! I am the only student in my grade to be taking 3 AP classes and willing to take that risk purely for the reward of learning, yet there are still people who are taking easy classes “never making mistakes” and achieving better grades. I believe that trying something new and receiving an experience that you cannot attain the orthodox way is much more worthy of time than doing what everybody else does; that’s the reason I joined CEO!

P.S. Newman homecoming was this weekend, and Gehrig was in my group to take pictures and go to dinner together. We met at the rock falls riverfront, and when Gehrig came I greeted him with a handshake, something teenagers usually would never do! It felt natural to do it, and also made me feel more professional and mature, and I’m sure had the same effect on him. I’m glad I did that, it’s cool to see how CEO really does affect my personality and life outside of class!

10/01/2017