“You are the brand.”
Anne Fritz said those words to our CEO students this morning, and I found myself thinking about how true they really are. Not just when you are trying to sell something. Not just when you are walking into a business meeting. Always.
Today was another morning that reminded me why this work matters so much. We welcomed Anne Fritz from Robert “Chick” Fritz Distributing to spend the morning with our students talking about branding, marketing and the value we bring to the people around us. Having Anne in our classroom felt especially meaningful because her family has been part of the Silver Creek Area CEO story from the very beginning. Robert “Chick” Fritz Distributing was one of 10 founding investors who believed in this program before it even existed. They were willing to invest in a vision that had no students, no success stories, no graduates and no proof of what it could become. Along with the other founding investors, their investment gave us the capital we needed to bring Silver Creek Area CEO to our area. And now, here we are, with Anne standing in front of a classroom full of seniors, sharing the knowledge and experience she has gained throughout her career in marketing and brand management.
Anne didn’t just talk about logos and advertising. She challenged our students to think about who they are and what they communicate to the world. Who are you? What do you represent? What value do you bring? And perhaps most importantly, how do you make someone else see that value?
She talked about preparing, reading the room, understanding the culture of the business you are walking into, asking questions, listening and being willing to pivot. And she told them something I think every young person needs to hear: even after years of experience, you can still get nervous. You can still walk into a room with sweaty palms and a racing heart. You can still wonder if you are good enough. The difference is learning how to prepare anyway, show up anyway and believe in what you are representing enough to keep going.
That resonated with me because that is what I hope our students are learning through CEO. Not how to be perfect, but how to be prepared, confident and authentic. How to walk into a room where you may not know anyone and find the courage to introduce yourself. How to listen. How to learn. How to believe that you have something of value to offer.
And today, two of our students got to practice leadership in their own way. Gentry was our CEO of the Day, and he did a fantastic job helping lead our class and representing the program. And then there was Chris, our Photographer of the Day. Chris actually aspires to be a photographer, so I thought this would be a fun opportunity for him. I asked him to snap a few pictures during class. When class was over, he sent me a downloaded file with 90. Yes, NINETY. pictures. Apparently, when I said “a few,” Chris heard, “This is your opportunity. Go for it.”
And honestly, I couldn’t love that more. He took the assignment seriously, got to practice something he loves and gave me 90 moments to choose from. Sometimes we give a student a small responsibility and they show us that it’s much bigger to them. Every time they step up, take responsibility or put themselves outside their comfort zone, they grow a little more into the person they are going to become.
Anne, thank you for being part of our morning and for sharing so much of yourself with our students. Your stories, your honesty and your willingness to talk about the moments when you were nervous, made mistakes and had to figure things out are exactly the kind of real-world lessons our students need to hear.
And thank you to Robert “Chick” Fritz Distributing and the Fritz family for believing in Silver Creek Area CEO from the very beginning. Today, Anne walked into our classroom and invested her time and experience in the students who are now living out the vision your family helped make possible.
I don’t think there’s a better example of what community investment looks like.
And we’re all incredibly grateful.