Teonna Davis
About Me
Hello! I am a senior at Belleville West High School. At my school, I participate in various activities. I am a leader of the track team. I've ran on the varsity level since my freshman year. Also, I am a part of Empower Me as well as a leader in Harambee.
Throughout my years of high school, I've always seen myself as a leader with a different and creative mindset. I'm always thinking outside the box! After learning a little more about this program through the help of my school counselor, I was immediately interested. I thought this was an amazing opportunity to be myself and showcase my ideas.
I plan on furthering my education and going into the business world. I would like to earn a degree in business. I am excited to learn new things about being in business through this program and meet new connections and friends along the way!
About My Business
My Featured Journal Entries
This week in CEO we got to visit the town's best arena! I’ve been living here in Belleville for about 10 years now. One of the things I used to always do as a kid is go to the Edge. Literally every weekend that would be the “hangout spot” for all of the middle school kids. After a while as you get older, us young adults no longer want to go to the Edge because we were so used to being there all the time as kids. Now looking back, all these changes that this place has made its refreshing to want to go back and relive those memories at the Edge. I absolutely agree with the decisions that Mr. and Mrs. Dahm-Schell, the owners of the Edge, have made to improve the facility and make it more family friendly! It was mouth dropping to see how different it looks! It’s exciting to see it grow and I will surely be going back for go-karting soon!
As we get to our last week of class, I cannot believe how fast it has went by! Not only the last week of CEO class but the last week of high school. I am seriously about to graduate soon! My high school years have been a rollercoaster and my classes and my amazing teachers have help me tremendously in finding myself and my true passions. I have joined things that I would’ve have never joined if it wasn’t for the help of my teachers. CEO was one of those classes. My teacher Mr. Caswell was a great factor in opening doors to be a better business student and a better person at heart. I started CEO not knowing what I was getting myself into or who I would even be with. This class has taught me so much about myself. This class has taught me how to be a better professional and businesswoman. I wish I was a little more open and got to know my classmates a little more. I have grown relationships with people such as Dauneshia, Martrell, Emmie, Antwan and I can’t forget about my friend Daniel! These are friendships that I hope to cherish and continue down the road. I would like to thank Mrs. Siebers as well, without our amazing facilitator guiding us closely we wouldn’t have been where we are today. I have enjoyed this class and everyone in it. I have realized that 7:30 is too early but it’s totally worth it!
05/04/2018
This week we spoke with all different types of individuals with great personalities! To begin the week we spoke with Mr. Tony Bryan, a representative for Midwest Cyber Center. We heard if the unique things that could be purchased to be able to hack into networks. These items could be purchased by anyone. It’s scary to know that someone that could buy a device called a “pineapple” could have access to all of your personal data in a matter of seconds just by being on the same public WIFI as you. It’s important to try to protect your networks as well as we can. Virus on computers are a big thing! As well as social media, that’s a big problem and that’s an easy way for people to be able to find out things about you. When talking about cyber security in if the things I thought about is Facebook. I’m be noticed that one day I’d be in a website shopping for clothes and then all of a sudden I go in Facebook and the same exact clothing item from the same website shows up on an advertisement! It’s extremely creepy. It’s like we give social media so much access over our personal lives and our cell phones without even realizing it.
One of the unique things I found out about the Midwest Cyber center besides their motives to ensure protected networks is their youth program called “cyberpatriot.” This program offers young individuals a chance to be able to able to protect ourselves from hackers in the future as technology continues to advance. They offer scholarships and apprenticeships and have over 209,000 cyber security jobs available.
Also, we visited Lindenwood University with the school president and many others. We role played a game in which made us as future businesspersons be able to speak on our feet and be able to problem solve as well. It was an inspiration watching the college business professionals think so quickly and be able to respond and ask many questions right off the back.
04/27/2018
This year's trade show had a good turnout. In my opinion everyone’s booth look great and was different ways. I’ve never been to a trade show so it was fun to simply walk around and talk to classmates about how they wanted to set up their booths. I personally had so many compliments on some designs I’ve done. A lot of people took cards and were interested in working with me I’m excited for what’s next with my business.
04/20/2018
As the weeks continue to advance in Belleville CEO we are learning more and more. This week we met with Patrick McKeehan, Economic Development Director at City of O’Fallon. Mr. McKeehan taught us about producing an elevator pitch for each of our individual businesses. With my business speed was on of the aspects that would set me aside from other businesses. Through the process of heat transfers and vinyl cutting I produce T-shirts in about 15-45 mins depending on the designs wanted. We will all have to present our own elevator pitch, making our businesses sound worthy, unique and competitive.
In addition, we got the chance to meet with Kurt Artinger, the CEO of Artigem. Artigem is a jewelry replacement service. According to Artigem.com Artigem Replacement Services leads the Jewelry Claim Industry with innovation, world class service and an exceptional selection of jewelry replacements. When meeting with the CEO we learned how he bought out his business with just one dollar! We took a tour of the building. There is rental space for businesses to rent out when they need it. This is good for small businesses running through home who don’t have the correct space. It’s also beneficial to get advice and network with other businesses in the facility as well. The environment at the Artigem space was great! From the unique rooms and offices to the colorful floor in one of the spaces. The building was close to being torn down so to see the amazing renovations made was incredible. It should be fun spending the rest of our semester at this place.
Artigem has many great things in store, as they are launching a new product that will be a great hit when it is officially released! We are working towards a unique name for this piece as well.
03/16/2018
This week, one of things we got to do was attend an Issue and Eggs breakfast. This was something completely different. We, as CEO was represented by our CEOs and CFO. They talked a little bit about what we do and our recent class business. There were two other high school programs represented at the event as well. The thing that made me most interested was teen court. After hearing that the program was for real cases and real students it good to see that we have programs willing to help students and turn their lives around. This program is probably extremely difficult to get into, I mean wouldn’t want just anyone deciding another child’s consequences. Growing up being, around people who might not have the best childhood, and they might not be the best student, this is such a way to lead children in the right direction and it could really change their lives around.
03/02/2018
It has been 19 long weeks of CEO and the days are going by pretty quickly. There’s always so much to learn and so much to do, we seem to always be on the next move! Our class business, “Belleville’s Got Talent” is approaching so fast and when we meet together it seems as if we’re just starting. The most challenging thing with putting together this event is reaching our goal of ticket sales. Each of us students have to sell eleven tickets, however going out and trying to sell them has been stressful! Finding the correct target audience is the worst part because with being a high schooler, you of course want to go to your peers but if they don’t know of anyone who’s planning on performing or attending it’s a complete turn off for them. Hopefully things will pick up with planning our event, it’ll be a great turnout!
Aside from our class business updates, this week we met with JoAnn DiMaggio-May for the second time and we started on our business outline. We’ve completed a portion of the outline and we will meet with her again to complete it. Learning what I know so far about the importance of having a business outline I have passed over my knowledge to my father. My father is starting his own trucking company for his goal of 2018. As he has been in the business for several years, he has decided he wants to become his own boss. It’s exciting to share what I’ve learned from the class on to my family who will be great business people!
01/12/2018
This week we got the chance to go to Auffenberg and talk with Jamie Auffenberg, son of the founder. Like all the rest of the great businesspeople we have encountered this is the third time that we have heard the quote/saying “surround yourself with good people.” In every way they have used this quote differently but they all are alike in some way. Aside from the irony I decide to share, we talked about Auffenberg itself. The biggest thing that stuck out to me was that prices continue to drop on cars each week if they are not being bought. However, after 60-90 days they take the cars off the lot where they are then taken to auctions.
As the years progress, the car dealership business is going down. It’s good to have a smaller store and a bigger lot. The bigger the store, the less parking you have and you can’t keep a lot of cars. That was interesting and understandable. The Auffenberg by the Fairgrounds in Belleville has a huge store and their lot pretty small, although they are currently renovating the store it’s still about the same size. With knowing this it would be smaller to expand their parking lot and create a smaller store so that they can attract more customers in the future. I learned a lot during Mr. Jamie’s presentation. It was very informative. Not only about Auffenberg, but the car dealership business itself.
11/24/2017
As we end week thirteen of our CEO journey we have encountered 10 guest speakers and have been on 21 business visits. Something new has been learned every day. A new experience, a new a story and new people. Our class is in the process of creating our class business for the year of 2018. I never knew there was so much work that needs to be done in order to put on a talent show. As we continue our weeks of class were slowly making progress with our class business and we are very excited! February will be here before we know it and we hope all of our business friends that we have gotten to meet are involved.
On November 11th, we got to talk with Jason Eding, the director of IT at Precision Practice Management. Besides talking to us about privacy, security and things along with the internet he mentioned interviews. When having an interview there are a few things that would be considered a plus when managers are considering hiring. There always need to be research. You need some type of understanding and information about the company that you are applying for. It will be a good look when you can provide history of the business. Canned questions. Come to an interview with questions that could be asked for the hiring manager. These question don't have to be specific to just the particular workplace. There also need to be a resume. It isn't really required but it is a good fit. With all the things that Mr. Eding told us I could never understand after all the interviews that I’ve went I have not gotten a job. Before his presentation I was aware of the things that needed to be done with having a great interview. I would add to list of things with conducting a good interview. I would add on that timed management is a good plus as well. With being involved in so many different school activities and being an athlete as well I wouldn't even have time for a job. When managers ask me about my availability, my time is limited because I have so much going on. And now I see why it's harder to find a job.
11/17/2017
“Surround yourself with good people. Surround yourself with people who are doing better than you” (Kevin Nicol). What can we classify as “good” how do we classify success to say that one is doing better than us? Plot twist. People have a sense to become greedy with their success. They become overly obsessive, materialistic, different… Is that a good thing? The perception on this quote can go many ways. We want to be around people because their success can teach us to build ourselves, it teaches us from what they’ve learned, how they got to where they are and it motivates us to do and to be better. However, when we surround ourselves with people who are doing better than us they may not want us to reach the top as well. They don’t want to celebrate with us because they’re no longer on top. We’re even and believe it or not that’s how it is in high school with “friends.” This week for the second time now we’ve gotten the chance to meet with Kevin Nicol. He is the founder of the Nicol Foundation. Each time we’ve spoken with Mr. Nicol he ever disappoints. He leaves with great impressions and amazing quotes in which makes you think. Aside from talking finance, I continue to quote the quotes he presents us with because they make me think on life in general.
Also this week we went on a field trip in which I’d never forget. We attended the Trep Start event. Meeting with so many young entrepreneurs it makes teens like us in the CEO program so excited to begin our personal businesses. I don’t have any idea what I want to do for my personal business but I constantly think about it. I know I wasn’t to target college students but there’s so many pros and cons with my target audience. I have to create something cheap of course because college student don’t have any money. Besides things for their dorms, what exactly do college students need. I’m in the process of creating a survey to give to college students in which will help me figure out what exactly they need and would be willing to buy. In reality, my main focus would be incoming college freshmen. I think my target is a big audience to generate revenue, especially with me being an incoming college freshman next year as well. At the Trep Start event I talked with Ehan, he is the CEO of the Solemender, created for individuals who have plantar-fasciitis. I connected with his presentation because I have plantar-fasciitis as well from running track. We talked about getting manufactures in order to create the product I plan on making. As we advance on in class, I am very excited for the weeks to come!
11/03/2017
As we continue to network with various new people and meet fresh faces there isn’t a doubt that the class and I are learning something new each day. Each person that we meet provides new experiences that teaches us the insides of their businesses.
We got the chance to meet with Patty Gregory. I have been living in Belleville for about eleven years now and I have always heard about “Art On The Square.” However, I have never attended it. Hearing from Mrs. Gregory it sounds like a wonderful event. When you’ve lived somewhere for so long we don’t seem to appreciate the beauty that the city has to offer. That’s how I am living in Belleville. I drive around downtown Belleville so much it’s actually become “ugly” I’ve gotten used to the different shops and restaurants. Mrs. Gregory said that people and artists from all over the United States have traveled all the way to Belleville just to attend this event. Even Hawaii! With hearing her presentation, not only do I really want to attend the event but I look at Belleville with fresh eyes. I take pride in the city that I live in because although I’ve gotten used to same buildings it’s absolutely beautiful. And the people makes it even better! Art on the square is one of the top 25 art shows.
Now, I’m no serious artist but I love interior design and I love to draw! That is the reason I am on the decorating committee. For our class business I chose to be on the decorating committee because it gives me an opportunity to design. I have so many cute ideas. I love DIY, which means “do it yourself” it’s super crafty ideas at such a cheap price. Our class business is really exciting as we approach the months of video submissions!
10/27/2017
A day at the CEO Empowerment field trip was the most influential and was filled with new information! Mr. Nicol said one thing that I took with me and cannot forget. “Weaker people need security; stronger people demand freedom” Since I was a little girl I was always considered a leader and self-reliant. I stayed to myself although I had so many friends! To be completely honest, I believe that everyone needs to feel secure in some situations, to know that there's someone there for them in times of need. Security isn't a bad thing at all, and you wouldn't be considered weak. However, the need for security ALL THE TIME is a weakness for people who would be considered weak. “Stronger people demand freedom.” The people who want to get and do things on their own and not be told anything are the ones who would be considered stronger. They want to figure things out on their own. I believe that this would apply to me, but not all the time. I'd rather fail multiple times than to constantly ask for help. I've gotten so many quotes in which I can relate to from this entire day. I learn so many new things each time a person presented.
In class, we took a survey in which showed multiple traits about ourselves. One of the things I got was that I am an extrovert. I agree with this so much, but I cannot seek to interact with people when I first meet them, I'm actually an introvert in the beginning. CEO is helping me overcome this. I'm learning to speak with individuals more and be more open as soon as I encounter someone and I love it! I always have something to say or talk about although I don't know someone. I am learning to find out more about people from asking simple questions about what they do or what they're interested in.
09/22/2017
Lawyers spend about 90% of their time simply preparing for cases as the other 10% is actually doing things for the cases. Just for only 1 of 100 cases to actually go to trial! Three intelligent men from Greensfelder law firm talked to us this week about their jobs in law. It's amazing the amount of time you have to spend in order to become a lawyer, attorney and etc. I learned about the various different exams and classes you must take to be in the field that you want. For example, in order to be a lawyer you must first of course have an High school education. In college, you must earn a bachelor's degree in whatever you like but after your degree you must go to law school. In my opinion, it'll make more sense to get a degree isn't law related because then you will have something else to fall back on besides law. The entire presentation present was so informative! I haven't really thought much about going into law but after this presentation I really thought about the possibilities.
In addition to the other presentations we got about business this week, the class and I are making so much progress on our badge project. Coming into this class, I wanted to come out of my shell and be more open with things. This class so far has made me take on leaderships tasks. I am the committee chair for the newspaper articles for the classes website and I also made an mock email for the class to send to businesses for the badge project. I am learning how to speak with business owners in order to get investor to help with our project. Also with the help of our project leader, Mahlik, I learn something new each day.
Organization is such a huge part of being a business owner, or in a career field in general. Its key to running successfully. I slowly learn that as we continue with our project. We have contracts set up and spreadsheets to know how everything is going. It just so much better than having to ask question all the time. We have access to everything that we could possible need. This is just our first project and its teaching us all so much, I am excited for the future projects as well.
09/17/2017
The second week of classes are complete. We have already met with so many influential individuals! My class and I traveled to Indiana to experience a tour around Holiday World, it was so much fun! There were other CEO classes there with us. My favorite part of the week was learning to break out of my shell and get comfortable with interacting and communicating with others in the different CEO classes. Along the tour, I met two new associates, Mason and Fernando. I got to know a little bit about their class and themselves as well. Fernando had just moved in the area about two years ago. He is originally from Mexico. I love getting to know people so this tour was a great start to learn how to start a conversation with people you aren't familiar with.
In addition, social media is a big part of just about every teens life. Impacting us all over the world. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and more are just a few of the applications we incorporate within our everyday lives. District 201 Superintendent Jeff Dosier, brought our CEO class to the district office to learn a little bit about our personal reputations. We learned the pros and cons of social media. Pros being things like how social media raises awareness, promotes and advertise, and also can boosts one's self esteem. In addition it can also do the total opposite, like take away actual the skill to socially interact with someone else in person. Soft skills were the first thing we learned. The way you interact with others socially such as eye contact, small talk, and a firm handshake can all form a good first impression. To Dr. Dosier we made a great first impression! Social media follows you all through your career and that's what's the most important to remember. Watch what you post because even if you may try to delete it. It's not really deleted.
09/01/2017
Choose a positive attitude, but face reality. The greatest word of advice that stuck out to me this week was that message. Not every day is going to be the best. We go through various hardships and situations in life where we may not be smiling and happy in the inside. However, as the head of a business you have to understand that people do look up to you and negativity can spread throughout. So it's best to try to be positive and have an encouraging attitude while at work.
Michael Marchal, President of Holland Construction taught me that. As he presented a little background about himself, the company he works for as well as key points in which will help you in the business world. It was interesting to hear Mr. Marchal’s story and how he got to where he is today. The overall message I took from his presentation was to keep your head down, work hard..hoping that your work gets recognized and that’s exactly what happened in his situation.
Going into the first week of CEO has been great, with the help of Vertical Performance my class and I have gotten a little closer. We’ve found out a little bit more about ourselves as well as who could be considered a leader upon our group. It was good to perform the multiple tasks and challenges with everyone. The activities forced us to communicate as a group as well as solve problems that we faced within the activities. Also, it was a relief to finally not have to wear those business clothes everyday.
In addition, I cannot forget the talk and tour we had with Dave Zura, president of Allsup. Learning how the business got back on its feet with more organization was interesting. They were at at very low point and just knowing that now they are doing some remodeling and they’re at such a great place is very exciting! I would love to just visit at the end of the year just to see their progress.
Overall, our few visits with some of the great people talked about above made me so excited for what's to come with the CEO class. I am ready to continue with my wonderful class and meet new people and business owners along the way! This was just week one, I am excited for the year.
08/25/2017