From CEO Connections to New Opportunities: Holden Hall Shares His Experience

There’s something special about seeing CEO come full circle when former students return to encourage and inspire the next class. Kankakee County CEO welcomed 2025 alum Holden Hall back to class to share his experience with this year’s students as they begin their CEO journey.

Now a business student at DePaul University in Chicago, Holden reflected on how his year in CEO impacted him personally and professionally. He shared how the relationships he built through the program continued to open doors after graduation, including helping him connect with internship opportunities this summer through the professional network he began building as a CEO student.

Hall also shared more about the game company he created while in CEO, and the lessons he learned along the way. During his time in CEO, Hall won 3rd place in the CEO National Pitch Competition, and was also a high school pitch competition winner at the ONU Createur Conference.

Holden encouraged this year’s class to take full advantage of every business visit, guest speaker and introduction, reminding them that the connections they make now can continue to create opportunities long after their year in CEO ends.

One of the best parts of the CEO experience is seeing former students return to encourage the next class and share where their experiences have taken them.
Thank you, Holden, for coming back to invest in our newest group of CEO students and helping them kick off an exciting year!