Cali Johnson

May 2017

Cali Johnson

About Me

Cali Johnson has been a school cheerleader for six years, and is now the captain of Teutopolis High School's cheerleading team. She was also a competitive cheerleader at Cayla’s Power Tumbling Cheer and Dance Center for three years, Along with her involvement in cheerleading, Cali is active in many clubs in her school, such as National Honor Society, Student Council, Varsity Club, Math Club, and Math Team. She was recently hired to work at the new Chipotle, opening in Effingham. In her free time, Cali enjoys spending time with her friends and family. Although undecided on a particular college at this time, Cali is planning on pursuing a Pre-Medical degree. She plans on attending Medical School after college and studying to become either a neurosurgeon or a cardiothoracic surgeon.

“I believe that CEO will help push me out of my comfort zone and provide me with many unique experiences. I’ve seen many people come out of the CEO class as a completely different person, and I can’t wait to see the impact that the class will have on my life.”

About My Business

Cali Johnson is the founder of Cali Bears. Her business puts a new spin on your average teddy bear. Cali Bears provides customers with a unique teddy bear, allowing them to record a custom message to insert into the bear to send to a family member, significant other, or close friend. Cali Bears will be donating half of their profits to the Make a Wish Foundation. Cali believes in the foundation’s goal of making dreams come true for children, and she wishes to provide a portion of her profits to that cause. Cali can be contacted at cali.johnson2017@gmail.com. Cali will continue her education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, pursuing a degree in pre-medical biological sciences.

My Featured Journal Entries

"Kyle Packer had an absolutely amazing and inspiring story to share with each of us. The biggest lesson I learned from Kyle was to not let fear stop you from doing what you want.  Kyle has cerebral palsy, but has not allowed this disability to slow him down or stop him from doing anything he wanted to do in his life... I love hearing people’s stories who have had big dreams and chased them, no matter how insane they may seem to other people. These people inspire me to achieve every dream or goal I have for my life, and to not stop trying until I do. I know that from now on, when I am going after something in my life and a fear pops up, I will remember Kyle Packer’s story and know that fear is fun, and to keep pushing past my limits/comfort zone."

05/03/2017

"At the Lexington Inn, I loved seeing family businesses that are passed down from generation to generation. I also found it interesting when they began talking about networking and how “it’s not what you know, but who you know.” This is a big concept of CEO, so it is neat to see how other businesses and business owners have the same philosophy."

04/05/2017
"The start of the floral business Blume & Baum truly shows that you never know where life is going to take you. You could be in your comfort zone one month, but then you make that impulse decision to leave that comfort zone and then you are in a completely new situation in life. No matter what the outcome is, it is always worth it to take the risks in life."02/01/2017

"If you would’ve told me at the beginning of the year that I was going to sit down and have an hour long conversation with a professional adult, I would’ve thought you were insane. That’s one of my favorite parts about CEO, you can look back throughout the program and it’s obvious how much you have grown as a person. CEO pushes you past your limits, to show you what you are truly capable of."

11/16/2016
"Every single person who went up there and spoke would be an outstanding mentor. It’s crazy that in those five minutes we only saw a small glimpse of their experiences and knowledge. I can’t wait to spend more time with my mentor and find out even more about them."10/25/2016