Week 3
Week in Review
Monday April 16, 2018
It’s the beginning of the week and we usually have Toastmasters and computer lab, but unfortunately class was canceled today. Regardless, we will still take advantage of this free time by continuing to study. We know tomorrow that we can look forward to class based on the book Living in the Village. Hopefully we won’t take a quiz, but if we do, we will be well prepared.
After Friday’s Think Tank event, our entire class is excited and can’t wait to attend the next event. It was amazing, and there was so much love at the event that it was overwhelming. The talk of the weekend was focused on how much everyone enjoyed themselves. It’s time to get back to work and continue on this long but exciting PEP journey. At least we know that we have another event next week which each and every one of us is looking forward to attending. At first some of us had doubts about this program, but after Friday, it’s safe to say that everyone is on board.
If only others could experience what we are going through, then maybe others who are incarcerated would have an optimistic outlook on life. It’s far from easy, but what we have come to realize is that something worth having requires hard work to achieve. We are on a road to success, and we won’t let anything prevent us from reaching our goals. This is a brotherhood and we are committed to moving forward with our lives. May God continue to rain his blessings down on us all.
Erasmo C. (a.k.a. “Easter Island Head”)
Tuesday April 17, 2018
Today we learned quite of bit of information. The first thing we do when we enter the classroom is to pray in, and then someone reads the word of the day. To everyone’s surprise, we were presented with a pop quiz over the event we attended Friday. What an eye opener for the entire class. We learned a valuable lesson on effective listening, because the majority of the class had to write a 500 word essay on the importance of effective listening. On top of that, we had to take a quiz relating to the book that we’re reading, Living in the Village. Fortunately, we were all prepared for it and everyone did exceptionally well. We were issued a few assignments to help us to continue to build our business plans. We also reviewed a couple of chapters from Living in the Village.
We concluded the class with a couple of videos on art history and United States history, which was actually kind of interesting. This is great opportunity for us to take advantage of a fresh start and to build a solid foundation. We have been provided all the right tools to succeed. The only things that we have to do are put in the work and continue to set and accomplish our goals. With that said, it’s time that we get back to our studying, because we know for sure that first thing in the morning we will be tested on entrepreneurship. We have a long journey ahead of us, but we’re ready to conquer any and every obstacle placed in front of us. We are PEP!
Enrique C. (a.k.a. “Trail Mix”)
Wednesday April 18, 2018
“I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true.” –R Buckminster Fuller
If you’re like most of us here at PEP, then life has served you lessons, sometimes particularly rough lessons that contradict everything you thought you knew. What do you do then? Looking around, we notice each other asking and answering that question every day. Some of us reach the conclusion sooner; some of us have the blessings of others to help us reach the conclusion in the end: grow day by day. Grow.
Walking into a room of over 100 people on a Wednesday, the energy is high. If you pull words out of the air you will hear words such as “confidence,” “excitement” and “anticipation.” The reason for this is that we have the opportunity to test and review what we had learned the previous week. About 90% of us retained the information well enough to pass. Once completed, we are then able to call back to memory the great times we had at our Think Tank event. It’s important to us that we even had that opportunity. Each and every single one of us here has made mistakes, and we’ve been shunned by society for years because of what might have happened in one night. The fact that people care enough not only to see us, but also to try to help us get educated, is beyond words. After our test we discussed how much that meant.
Then we got to the fun part. As many know, we are all competing to develop a business plan of our own, and we are blessed that PEP staff member Brian T. helps us to break down our lesson plan. Not only does Brain T. break down the curriculum, he also provides us with valuable life skills that some of us never had. One in particular that he reviewed was how to know if the female you’re with really cares about you through what he calls “The Tangerine Test.” The example was that Brian used to have a 1978 tangerine-colored car with black vinyl interior when he went to college. If a girl turned out to be materialistic, she wouldn’t go out with him again – thus, “The Tangerine Test.”
After we finished up for the day, we got the good news that one of our PEP brothers was approved for parole and can finally go home. We grouped together to spread encouragement and best of wishes in a mini event we call a “pray out.” Some of us struggle … some of us don’t have anybody on the outside … so for some of us, PEP is all we have. And for some of us, that’s just fine. Do you want to know more? Just ask. Because as all my brothers know…
WHO ARE WE?
WE ARE PEP!
Rafael C. (a.k.a. “Spice Girl”)
Thursday April 19, 2018
What a long and strenuous week. We took our entrepreneur test yesterday with the majority of the class doing pretty well. Today is a day of relaxation. A few of us have to go to the computer lab, but that is a walk in the park compared to quiz and test days. It’s amazing how much of a difference you can see in your classmates in just a matter of a few weeks. The brotherhood that is being built is real, and brothers are meeting difficult task with arms wide open.
We have another event next Tuesday, so we are all trying to get ready for that. From our understanding, it’s something similar to the Think Tank event that we just had last Friday. If so, then we will all have a blast. We still must stay focused and keep up with our reading assignments in Living in the Village and Entrepreneurship, as well as finishing the assignments we’ve been given to help build our business plans. These business plans that we are putting together really help us sit back and seriously think about our future plans. It’s not easy, but we are determined to change our lives. We know it takes effort, determination and perseverance, and we will continue to strive and make our family and loved ones proud of us. What a learning experience we are going through! At the end of the day, we know that it will be worth it – this is the beginning of a legacy.
Chris C. (a.k.a. “Norbit”)
Expressions
“If something does not matter to you, you will find an excuse.
If something matters to you, you will find a way.”
~ Ryan Blair
We have all made excuses in our lives at one point or another for something that did not matter to us, whether it was picking up someone for a ride, loaning someone some money or not finishing something you started. Even being incarcerated, because our freedom did not matter to us, so we’ve been separated from our loved ones. Many of us in the Prison Entrepreneurship Program are here because change really matters to us. We want to be better sons, fathers, husbands and friends with a great future ahead of us. Being in this program, we are held accountable for all our actions. When we fail a test and receive homework, we get it done. We do all that PEP expects of us on a daily basis because it matters to us, and graduating the program will help us to have better lives for ourselves and our families.
We all have something in common with this quote, and it relates to the great futures ahead of us: a life of sobriety, a great PEP family network, rebuilding our relationships, a good job and the planning for the startup of our businesses – this is a true fresh start. If something matters to you, you will find a way.
Corey C. (a.k.a. “Low Carb Burger”)