Week 16

Week in Review

Monday January 16, 2017

Although Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a holiday, we still held our Toastmasters meeting. The great thing about Toastmasters is that it has really helped us improve in our public speaking skills. When we first started, I could hardly get a word out! Now I feel very comfortable speaking in front of people. I’ve watched many of my PEP brothers make great improvements as well. I spoke today, and my speech was entitled “The Beeper.” It was about my experience with beepers. It was one of those “you had to be there” things.

We are now in the final stretch with less than two months to go until we graduate. We have been assigned the book called Crime and Punishment. Tomorrow is our first test on the plot and vocabulary of the book. It’s a very good book but a challenging read. The vocabulary is a bit of a challenge as well. We will have two or more tests after this one, every two weeks. Brian T. left a few weeks ago and we’ve had Bert S. teaching Thursday’s Entrepreneurship classes. He is a very good teacher and shares a huge amount of experience with us. We are almost finished with the Entrepreneurship curriculum as well.

Also we have been working hard on our 7-12 minute pitches. We have Pitch Panels going on in about three weeks. We practice our pitches with each other as if we are already in front of the panel of executives. Like I said we have been working very hard to get here; we started from the bottom, and now we are here and going all the way up!

Ruben V. (a.k.a. Sweet Head and Shoulders)

Tuesday January 17, 2017

We are coming down to the last mile of this PEP marathon! Yesterday we had our first quiz on the Crime and Punishment set of assignments. The quiz had one section on the plot and another on vocabulary. This first section included 265 pages of reading so there was a lot to cover. It’s an interesting book, but it can be a difficult read.

After the quiz we watched a video on art history. We have been studying the impressionist painters. Today’s video was about an artistic movement that started in France in the 1860s. Many of these painters are well known today such as Renoir, Monet, Manet and Degas. The video we watched was entitled Paris Under Siege. It focused on the time during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870-1871. When the Prussians finally entered Paris in the spring of 1871, its devastating psychological impact manifested itself in these artists’ paintings.

We have all been working very hard for several months now, and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. A few more tests, another event or two and then there we are: success! It’s been a long road, but very satisfying. At this point, most everyone is very excited about graduation. Many have been making arrangements for their families to attend. The PEP Family Liaisons have been wonderful. My wife, in particular, was very impressed. Bert S. took over for Brian T. for the remainder of our entrepreneurship curriculum. He has done a great job, is very knowledgeable and an excellent teacher. As we complete this final portion of the program, I know I speak for us all when I say PEP has been tough but rewarding, and we are all grateful for the opportunity.

Chris W. (a.k.a. Sweet Skid Mark)

Wednesday January 18, 2017

Being a part of PEP has been a journey for my brothers and me. It is great to see how we all have grown as men. Phase One helped us build our character by getting us out of our comfort zones, while simultaneously mentoring us along the PEP way. Today we are wrapping up Phase Two, saying our business pitches every day. Just yesterday we were having pitch panels in our dorms utilizing the skills we’ve learned in Toastmasters (a public speaking course). At first everybody was very nervous with no confidence whatsoever, with speakers’ eyes looking anywhere but at the audience. Now we stand up straight, look people in the eye and speak fluently and in a calm state as we make our point(s). Sometimes we have notes and sometimes we don’t, but either way we always stay on subject. We build each other up by giving each other positive advice and pointing out what we need to work on. It is not only giving advice, but also taking it in. At first it is really uncomfortable because no one likes to be told what to do. But once you find out it’s for your own good and you see your brother growing, you start asking yourself, “What can I do to better myself and become that better person?” With our servant-leader mentality, we learn to give and receive this feedback with grace.

Horacio Z. (a.k.a. Sweet Inspector Gadget)

Thursday January 19, 2017

Some of us got up early today to continue studying for our Chapter 14 test. This will be our final test on our entrepreneurship book before graduation. Phase One took the morning class time, and I can remember being in their shoes waking up extra early. Mr. Pat M. swung by yesterday to make sure everybody had all the people we want to attend our graduation on our list. It’s crazy how we are already talking about graduation, which means we are almost done. I can already see the finish line. All our hard work and determination that brought us to this point has finally paid off. I want to encourage all my PEP brothers to continue working hard, because we aren’t done yet. We are all excited and cannot wait to be with our families and all the volunteers who supported us throughout this class in a few short weeks at our PEP graduation.

This past week has been weird not having Brian T. around. Although Bert S. is an excellent teacher, we still miss Brian T. because he’s been with us since day one. We all hope he’s doing well, and I know he will be attending our graduation. I commend all my PEP brothers for making it this far. I have met some smart and interesting people in this class, and I am grateful for this brotherhood that we have.

Erick A. (a.k.a. Sweet Sopapilla)

Expressions

We are in the third week of 2017, and in two days Trump will take office. What’s funny is that nobody’s even thinking about that. We are down to one last entrepreneurship test, practicing for our 7-12 minute pitches for our upcoming Business Plan Competition and looking forward to graduation. We also have to read Crime and Punishment, a book that was written in the 1800s. At first I was discouraged by the length, but as soon as I got into reading it I really started to enjoy it. We will also be tested on all six parts in the book, including vocabulary words and questions on the content.

Over the last few months I have been working on my memorization skills and business knowledge. PEP as a whole has an abundance of knowledge, and together we are strong. Everything we have been doing is all coming together in harmony. We are taking our changed and improved character and molding our futures with a solid foundation built on our 10 Driving Values. We are ultimately a family and a brotherhood. We have grown in knowledge, love and friendship; we are now improved men in pursuit of success, happiness and freedom. Our past does not define the men we have become. We stand here today on a solid foundation, waiting to prove to our families that we are transformed men. It is amazing to get the opportunity to see so many men with so much knowledge and eagerness to learn. Our lights are shining bright, and we will be exploding with happiness on graduation day.

Dean B. (a.k.a. Sweet Vanilla Cappuccino)