High school students in an entrepreneurship program in DeWitt and Macon Counties are learning life lessons through adversity.

Students in the Central Illinois CEO program this semester are creating their businesses and the program's facilitator, Melanie Brown told Regional Radio News on the WHOW Morning Show Thursday this is one of her favorite parts of the program when her students, as she describes, it get to experience life real world. 

As the school year begins to wind down, students from Blue Ridge, Clinton, Maroa-Forsyth, and Warrensburg-Latham are developing their businesses and Brown says it is a real business with real customers, services, or goods.

Along the way, students are gaining skills to help them in the development of their group business and personal business. Brown says the transformation in the students is fun to watch especially when they can see their growth.

Brown indicates a lot of life lessons are learned when the students are putting together their group businesses or their businesses and things are not going their way and she steps back and allows them to problem-solve on their own.

For Brown, when the students approach her about a problem hoping for a solution, she asks "what do you think?" and says that can lead them to unlock the gifts they have. She calls it an exciting process and program to be a part of. 

You can learn more about the Central Illinois CEO program by visiting centralillinoisceo.com or by finding them on Facebook and Instagram.