Bell Fall 2024 Weekly Journals

Monday                                                                                                         August 12, 2024

            We arrived at the classroom and the DJ had some good music playing which got us motivated for the day. There was a good motivational saying on the board as well, “Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react.”  During the first half of class, we had “Toastmasters.” This class teaches us how to speak in public. When we first started public speaking was hard for us but now, we have are much better. We notice improvements in our speech, and we are more confident and comfortable in front of each other. After lunch we had our first “Clubhouse” session. We had executive volunteers come in and speak to us about our mission, vision, and values. It was very informative, and we had the opportunity to ask questions and speak to them personally. As it turns out many of these people are just like us. Joe, for instance, was in prison and went through the PEP class himself and now he is successful. Seeing other people like us gives us the push we need to keep going. At the end of class, we had a pray out for one of the brothers that is going home. It was a beautiful experience, and we could feel the love in the classroom today.

Santos P. (aka “Big Worm”)

Tuesday                                                                                                          August 13, 2024

            Today in class we participated in “Betterman.” The “Betterman” session was great, and we learned that living by God’s plan gets you the results you want. We are getting closer to accomplishing some goals like completing the program, getting released from prison, and continuing to better ourselves. We also learned that treating women right is a way to see changes manifest in your life and that by doing so help build personal connections. We learned that manhood is described in several domains like your religion, family, work, and community. It is important to stay focused on the course you are on and to keep on going, never giving up, and try your best to be a superhero to your family and your community. We have the privilege of experiencing this opportunity in our lives and many people would pay tons of money to go through the courses we are getting for free!. It is truly an amazing gift and a chance to improve on different levels. God uses various tools to point out specific things to specific people and sometimes it takes time to understand what He is saying. This journey has been worth it, and we are so grateful for PEP.

Brian C. (aka “Michael Jackson”)

            Today in PEP we tested on “True North” and the “Ten Driving Values.” We also had a life lesson on accountability when brothers held each other accountable by owning up to the mistakes they made. We went over “Living in the Village,” which is a book that is based on Christian principals and focuses on personal finances. It teaches us how to manage our money and other financial practices. We must study for the test tomorrow that is about eliminating minimal risk debt, saving for college tuition, obtaining a mortgage, the basics of investing and entering the stock market. “True North” is a book about finding and following your inner moral compass and using it to guide your decision making. It uses examples of real-life CEO’s following their own personal code and why they made some of the decisions that they made. It shows how important it is to find our own true north, or sense of direction.             The second half of class we continued practicing our pitches. We all do our best to encourage one another and give feedback to sharpen each other like iron sharpens iron. We are trying our best to live up to the standard of excellence, which is one of the “Ten Driving Values.” We have been working hard to instill values in our life and apply them daily. We have all grown so much in class and it is obvious when we pitch. We have all grown remarkably close and strive to have a balance of fun while still staying professional. Go PEP!

Wednesday                                                                                                    August 14, 2024

Hunter P. (aka “Bobby Hill”)

Thursday                                                                                                        August 15, 2024

            Today was another amazing opportunity to grow into the men we were always meant to be. By investing into our future, we can use our time wisely and make the most of every day in PEP. We started our day the right way by giving thanks to God for allowing us to be on this blessed journey towards transformation, then we took a test on our “Living in the Village” book to reflect on all the good financial advice it has to offer us. Not only has this book given us the knowledge to become financially stable, but it has also provided us with the tools necessary to prosper in our business ventures, provide for our families, and give back to our community. PEP has helped us realize there is nothing we cannot accomplish if we put the effort in and stand on our ten driving values that keep our foundation strong. We also have been working hard on our pitches and are all looking forward to performing our best at the business plan competition that is coming up at the end of the month. We reviewed the feedback from our classmates, which has been helpful. Our public speaking class, “Toastmasters,” has also really helped us to articulate our words better and get better at speaking in front of large crowds. As we reflect on another amazing day in PEP, it is easy to see how much this program is positively affecting our future.

Scott P. (aka “Raphael from TMNT”)

Expressions

“We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement.”

– Viktor E. Frankl

Confronted with yet another set-off after already completing close to 14 years in prison, I am afforded the opportunity to highlight resilience in the face of this personal tragedy of mine. I choose to keep striving to better myself and achieve every achievement for the sake of improvement, despite my heart sinking the way it did. If indeed my predicament cannot be changed and my freedom withheld, still I reinforce the freedom I must change myself. With this mindset, I am empowered to learn this exact lesson placed on my path. I choose to stand no longer in my own way.

Ramon Valencia (aka “Lord Farquad”)

Monday                                                                                                               July 29, 2024

            Today in PEP we started our testing for chapters 9,10 and 12 in our Entrepreneurship textbook. This week’s chapters taught us about the legal issues that are involved with a new business. They also brought up how to manage human resources and ways that will help establish operations. PEP has been a wonderful opportunity for us and is more than just an entrepreneurship program. It is a place where we also work on our character daily. We learn and apply a set of “10 Driving Values.” These values were neglected by many of us in our past. It also gives us a healthy environment where we can step out of the prison culture and where we can really work on ourselves. It means a lot to be able to have the opportunity to work in a place that promotes responsible change.          We are halfway through the program. We have learned many things in the brief time that we have been here. We have learned about business, public speaking, a complete set of values, leadership, and how to work in a team. PEP is a brotherhood, and we are glad to have been chosen to be a part of something so special. We are grateful for all the people that have come together over the years to make this possible. There is nothing like knowing that there’s people that do not define us by our past and encourage us to make the best of ourselves and help us pull the best out of ourselves. This program has been a blessing, and we know that this is just the beginning of our new journey!

William L. (aka “Ronald McDonald”)

Tuesday                                                                                                               July 30, 2024

            Today, we focused on two of our personal favorites of the “Ten Driving Values,” which are fun and love. Due to hurricane Beryl, and an unexpected week without power, all business in the PEP room has been catching up on tests and lectures. We also began recording the videos for our second project, which is the chosen CEO and either COO or CFO reciting their pitches in front of the camera. However, today our class was filled with whoops, hollers, and laughter as we were all excited to be back. Our first half was all business. We were tested on chapters in our entrepreneurship book. We showed off our newly learned knowledge of business planning as we typed as fast as we could on the keyboards while answering the essay questions. After lunch we spent the second half of class “turning up” as we like to call it, which means getting excited. Laughter is contagious and there was not a PEP brother that did not have an ear-to-ear smile on their face as we had a dance off and listened to all our favorite songs. Even Donald J., our in-house manager, could not help himself as he turned up and even did the chicken dance. Our PEP room was bursting with fun and brotherly love. We do our best every day to live by the “Ten Driving Values.” The sky is the limit for us and our chance of having a fresh start.

Johnny M. (aka “Johnny Mays JR”)

Wednesday                                                                                                         July 31, 2024

            Today, we learned how to better manage money and to talk in front of a crowd without being nervous. We know that this will play a key part in our business because when you talk in front of professionals, or really anyone, you do not want to be shy. Instead, we want to sound like we know what we are talking about and be confident while doing so. Communication skills are especially important in the professional world. Later we also received an inspirational speech from a special guest: Brewster. We really got a lot out of his speech because it was incredibly informative. He talked about his childhood and upbringing, and it turns out we are not so different from each other; we have a lot in common. After doing time in prison, he decided to turn his life around and became successful. After hearing his story, we know now that if he can turn things around, we all can do the same. We are grateful for the Prison Entrepreneurship Program and the chance to improve ourselves. Every day we are becoming better than we were the day before. We are becoming more confident in our ability to be successful when we are released.

Jose M. (aka “Shrek”)

Thursday                                                                                                          August 1, 2024

            Today in the Prison Entrepreneurship Program we learned about chapters twelve and fourteen of our entrepreneurship curricula. Before the presentation, all five of the teachers and volunteer executives came in today because it was the last chapters of the book. They gave us useful information as well as a book to keep today. The book is named the “Treasure Principle” by Randy Alcorn. The executives then autographed the books and wrote down some important advice for us to remember. The textbook chapters were about exit and harvest plans to consider for our businesses. An exit plan should be developed early in the business because it is important for entrepreneurs to have a game plan. We also learned about franchises and purchasing an existing business. As we approach graduation, we meet our weekly goals and take in all the information being taught to us. We plan to apply it in the future. Not only are we learning about business, but we are also learning about how to become better men and fathers. We are grateful for the chance to be part of something great and are trying to apply the things we have been learning in our everyday life. We all thank God for this second chance in life.

Houston M. (aka “The Butler”)

Friday                                                                                                                August 2, 2024

To start our day, we had our morning pray-in. This brings us spiritually and mentally together by inviting the Holy Spirit into the classroom and our hearts. The quote from the journal entry today was, “We thought about quitting but noticed who was watching.” The message was about being able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  Afterwards the class was split into two groups and one half tested over the economics of one unit, or EOU, and the other half continued to practice pitching. Some of us began studying while others discussed their pitches and the upcoming graduation. We were fortunate to receive a devotional that a servant leader, Eleazar Flores, wrote for us. The message was about his personal experience and growing closer to the Lord. He then introduced another servant-leader who sang a worship song he prepared and gave another message of strength and hope. He explained how he came to know Jesus in prison and how He is working through him to spread his word. He is truly serving the Lord full time. After we watched several motivational videos until lunch. When we returned the students that had not been tested yet went to the computer lab to do so. After we all finished testing, the class felt relieved. We had completed another day in PEP and displayed several of the driving values while doing so. We are grateful for all of our brothers!

Jesus M. (aka “Mrs. Doubtfire”)

Expressions

“To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.”

            You cannot keep doing the same thing expecting a different result. We must find comfort in the uncomfortable by stepping outside our comfort zones. Once we begin to explore foreign territory, we then discover new resources, but you will never discover anything new if you will not let go of the old. When you want something different you must begin to do things differently because that is the only way you will obtain something different. We must change our goals, thoughts, lifestyle, crowd, and ideas to create new resources, experiences, finances, opportunities, and results.

Melvin Strong (aka “Kel Mitchell”)

Monday                                                                                                              July 22,  2024

In the beginning when we first selected the PEP (Prison Entrepreneurship Program) program, we were not sure if we would like the class or not. However, as more time passed, we found that we cannot not wait to get to class in the mornings. The first thing that we do every day is pray in. After we pray in, we walk around and greet our PEP brothers by telling them good morning. After that we are introduced to the quote of the day. We were allowed time to copy some inspirational words into our journals and write about what the quote means to us. One of the best things about Mondays is that we get to do Toast Masters. One of the hardest parts of our curriculum is Toast Masters, but we look forward to it anyway. We stand  in front of the class and practice public speaking. At first it was exceedingly difficult, but the more we practice the easier it gets, and the improvements are very noticeable. We all speak more confidently and have come out of our shells since the first project.    After Toast Masters we took several entrepreneurship tests. We were glad to have the opportunity to study over the weekend and were allowed to take the test on Monday. Most of us have no doubt that we did well on the tests today. We closed class by praying and giving thanks for another blessed day.

Terry K. (aka “Ricky Bobby”)

Tuesday                                                                                                               July 23, 2024

Today we started class around 8 as we began to arrive from our pods. There was music playing low in the background and everyone walked around shaking hands and saying good morning to each other (we call it showing love). Like every morning there is a quote on the board for us to write down in our journal. Today the message was “Don’t pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” After the journal entry we started class by praying in.          During the first half of class, we began working on our speeches for our team pitches and our next project. The CEO, CMO and COO of each team will pitch for around five minutes and the video will be sent to executives for feedback and market research.        After lunch we returned to class and one of the servant leaders came to the classroom and gave a presentation about how to make a resume for our business plans. He also reviewed how to determine our startup costs and fill out our financial summary. We will have them ready to be entered on the computer. As a class we would like to thank the prison entrepreneurship program for the opportunity and dedication that has been extended to us. Finally we want to give thanks to our families and loved ones for never giving up on us and always loving us. We cannot wait to show our families the changes we have made at our graduation.

Michael K. (aka “Maria Cookie”)

Wednesday                                                                                                         July 24, 2024

            Today we only had class in the afternoon because our servant leaders met for the first half of the day. We approached the second half of class by opening in prayer. Prayer is particularly important to us; it is the strength of our spirit and always gets us through the day. Next, we listened to a devotional song that two PEP brothers made for us. The song was about God getting us through any storm. Brother Catarino then spoke about accepting difficult moments and dealing with them in faith. He also explained that tough times make tough people, and all our hardships serve a greater purpose. After the message we saw a video that broke it down even further and made the point that we are truly blessed no matter the circumstances and that God is working on our character and is always merciful. After the devotional we moved on to our Better Man curriculum. Better Man focuses on learning how to become the best version of ourselves. It teaches us the foundation for becoming the leader of our families and helps show us how to categorize our steps and make plans with God at the center of them.         Before the end of class our in-prison manager, Martin, showed us some video clips and slides of his personal business. The videos showed us the steps he took to open his store and how it grew. Another video was about how he gave back to the community he was in and how he was able to make that happen. That concluded our daily activities for the day. We are all so grateful for the opportunity PEP has provided us.

Christopher K. (aka “Bo Morley”)

Friday                                                                                                                   July 26, 2024

            Today was a wonderful day. We are really coming together like a family. Our day started with Dougal and Doug driving here in the rain to teach us about entrepreneurship. The dedication those guys have shown to our class is amazing. We appreciate them more than they will ever know. Their hard work and dedication to helping us inspires everyone to keep pushing forward. After we finished their lecture, we took a test on Ryan Mack’s “Living in the Village.” We all did very well on the test. We then went over the next two chapters of the workbook. We are all working hard to achieve our goals. We are growing each day.     It is so powerful to see how much this program is reshaping our lives, our minds, our character, and our values. We will make it through this together. The finish line is right around the corner. With hard work and dedication, we will continue to push each other. We will build each other up and will not be denied our destiny. Together we have the mindset of champions. PEP has empowered us to become new men with character and the hunger to succeed. We are, the class of Fall 2024!

Paul L. (aka “Little Sweets”)

Expressions

“If you fail to plan you plan to fail.”

– Terry Parsons

Since I was a youngster, my father has been saying this repeatedly! As I got older it continued to be a common saying in our household, and I began to really understand the meaning and importance of planning and preparation. Unfortunately, being young and stubborn I did not apply it, but it was always in the back of my mind. Today, however, my father’s voice is loud and clear in the back of my head. I believe in this and apply it today in all that I do. Preparation is the key to success. I am so thankful for my father and his consistency in my life! So, remember always if you fail to plan you may as well plan to fail!

Joshua Parsons (aka “Scottie P”)

Monday                                                                                                               July 15, 2024

Today was a good day; even for a Monday. Once in the classroom we mingled around for a few minutes and got to know each other a little bit more. Next was the pray in followed by “Toastmasters.” We have fun with it because it teaches us to speak in front of the class with proper grammar and with authority and with well thought out words. Today we had to stop “Toastmasters” early so we could work on our business team pitches. It is funny because when we practice our pitches in a small team everything is fine and it goes smoothly, but as soon as we are in front of the class we sometimes falter under the pressure. That is why we practice. We look forward to every day because it is a new experience. We talk about the growth that we see in each other. We are grateful for the opportunity to come together from all different walks of life and unite as one band of brothers. We learn every day how to be better men. We focus on breaking down the walls we have come to believe are normal defense mechanisms and grow into new men in many ways by throwing away our old habits, beliefs, and character traits, and replace them with new ones. For us to see the change and transformation, as it takes place, is amazing and encouraging for everyone. PEP is awesome! Every day we look forward to the next class. Shout out to class of Fall 2024!

Todd H. (aka “Sloth”)

Tuesday                                                                                                               July 16, 2024

We were all happy to be back in our PEP classroom after missing a week because there was minimum electricity due to the storm that came through Houston. This morning, we all had learned by watching videos of our brothers from previous classes doing their pitches. After the videos we had a pray out, which occurs whenever a PEP brother (classmate) is about to get released. After that we watched some inspirational videos about hope, integrity, love and becoming better men. We were all especially interested in one video because the message caught our attention. The video spoke about how it does not matter how small you may think you are because you can all be the biggest part of someone else’s life. At lunch we were excited to have chicken with peach cobbler for dessert. We returned to class and listened to music while some of the brothers danced and showed us some moves, we had never seen before. That put a smile on our faces. We had fun. We are incredibly grateful for the PEP program and especially our in-prison management. We finished the day with a moment of prayer.

Joel I. (aka “Isiah Super”)

Wednesday                                                                                                         July 17, 2024

            Today was a very eventful day. To start off our action-packed time in the classroom, we had an exceptionally good discussion about having a vision and putting together a complete mission statement. We then had a birthday party in the class for our brother Calib C., so we clapped, and all sang happy birthday to him. It was really fun! After that, it was back to business. Our servant leaders passed out workshop guides which contained information for our CEOs, CMOs, CFOs and COOs.      The workshop video will be a brief explanation pertaining to whether the CEOs will be providing clients with a product or a service. It was also to give information on marketing and how we will advertise the businesses or products. These videos will be due next weekend, so we are all working together to get that done! Next thing checked off the list was completing chapters 5 & 6 of our Entrepreneurship book. Chapter 5 is about business mission and strategy; chapter 11 is about how to market our businesses.          Overall, we had a very productive day, and we are all extremely glad and appreciative to be a part of this brotherhood. PEP has shaped each one of us into better business and family men. Not only by helping us redirect the way we speak, but also the way we carry ourselves in doing the right thing. We are also learning to be held accountable for our actions while having fun. We are going to continue building this everlasting bond with each other so that we can be productive members of society once we make it out of here. Thank you, PEP!

Adrian J. (aka “Roach”)

Thursday                                                                                                             July 18, 2024

            This morning was great, and everyone in the dorm was up and ready for class. Donald J. came to pick us up and we were excited to go. After we checked in with security, we had an opportunity to meet and greet our classmates. Our pray in was most definitely inspiring this morning and we met with the two executive volunteers that came to teach about entrepreneurship, Dougal and Keith. They are truly a blessing for our class. We learned about Ruth Simmons, who was the first black female president of an Ivy League school, and Senator Ted Cruz. Both Keith and Dougal gave an inspiring message about never giving up on us or our futures. At separate times today, both volunteers gave us similar advice. Keith also gave a lecture about chapter six of our entrepreneurship book which focuses on analyzing cash flow. The lessons he shared with us about his personal experiences were extremely helpful to up and coming business owners. We also found out that Keith is a prominent real estate broker and a successful home builder.             After our lunch we came back for the second half of class. Dougal gave his lecture on chapter seven, which focuses on financing and accounting, and then chapter eight, about financial analysis. We are all grateful for the two gentlemen that came in today to help us learn and grow. Keith made sure we knew that when starting a business having emergency capital for six months operating expenses is an absolute must. Today was really a wonderful day for the class of fall 2024.

Stacey J. (aka “Fred Sanford”)

Friday                                                                                                                   July 19, 2024

            Today at the beginning of class we had a test over the ten driving values that are the core of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP). This test consisted of matching the definition with the specific value. The ten driving values consist of fresh start outlook, servant leader mentality, love, innovation, accountability, integrity, execution, fun, excellence, and wise stewardship. Most of the class passed the test.   After lunch some of the finalists, or CEOs, of the big pitch competition went to the computer lab to do market research. They were able to search for information to further develop their business plans. The rest of the class stayed in the classroom to do Toast Masters. Toast Masters is a group activity that allows us to improve our communication skills and work on our ability to speak in front of an audience. Many of us worked on our first speech project, which is titled “Ice Breaker.” The assignment’s purpose was to share a little about ourselves and get to know our classmates. Today went very well and many of us are getting more comfortable speaking in public.   At the end of the day, we went over the praise reports our class has earned so far. Praise reports are issued by classmates and servant leaders that see particular people demonstrating one or more of the ten driving values inside or outside of the classroom. We are all so grateful to be part of the prison entrepreneurship program and look forward to what the future has in store for us.

Aaron J. (aka “McLovin”)

Expressions

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”

            To me this means that success is not the end because there is always moore to accomplish. Success is a marathon you must keep racing to stay successful. Failure is not fatal because you can learn so much by failing that sometimes it makes you a better person. Failing is only the first attempt at learning, and you can learn a lot from your mistakes. In class we learned to never give up and keep trying to reach success. It really does take courage to continue to reach for success and to be successful because there are always difficulties and things and people in your way. No matter what, keep starving for success and never lose your hunger to make it to the top.

Jeff Martinez (aka “Toucan Sam”)

Monday                                                                                                                   July 1, 2024

            Today was a great day full of team building activities. We started our action-packed day by finding out which 20 participants’ ideas got picked from when we pitched our ideas last Friday at our “Big Idea Pitch” event. Each participant that didn’t become a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) got assigned to a team as either a COO (Chief Operating Officer), CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), or CFO (Chief Financial Officer). All these roles are important to the success of a business. We are all excited to start this newfound journey with each other. It’s a great opportunity to learn new skills. We are grateful to be a part of something so special like PEP. We are all learning how important it is to have a community of brothers that truly have our best interest. During the second half of our day, we did a team building exercise with balloons. First, we wrote our names on a balloon then we all threw our balloons over a wall. They were now in a huge mixed-up pile Next, we were to find our balloon with just our name on it, much harder than you think. We were 100 percent successful finding our own balloon. But when the task changed to picking up a balloon then finding the person, we had huge success! What a lesson, focus on others and you too will be blessed. Next, we moved on to another activity where we had to build a tower with 20 pieces of spaghetti, two feet of tape and some string. Then it had to best strong enough to hold a marshmallow. It’s safe to say we learned the importance of working together through these exercises. Today was an eventful day and very fun! Fall 2024 is the best!

Steve G. (aka “Can’t get right”)

Tuesday                                                                                                                  July 2, 2024

            First thing every morning we give thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for all that he blesses us with each and every day! Today we learned about accountability, which is one of our ten driving values. In this class we hold each other accountable, and this helps us develop a positive character. We learned that if you are serious about changing your life you will find a way for you will find an excuse. We also learned about marketing strategies and how wise it is to use business cards, flyers, brochures, websites, social media, special events, team sponsorships, etc. We also discussed that if we are selling a product, it is important to have the perfect location. The entrepreneur has to place the product where there will be a high demand for it. For example, selling bathing suits in Alaska in February would not be profitable.  Today we took two tests on our entrepreneurship book chapter 3, which covers business idea generation and initial evaluation; and chapter 4, which covers external evaluation. The tests were quite challenging.  We are one day closer to accomplishing our goal of becoming a graduate of such an intensive program like PEP. We are more than brothers here; we are a brotherhood with a strong bond that is going to follow into the free world and beyond! PEP is giving us all the opportunity to create and build a better future for the greater good. Thank you PEP for making our dreams a reality. God Bless!

Ernest H. (aka “George Lopez”)

Wednesday                                                                                                            July 3, 2024

            Today was a very helpful and informative day. Upon arrival we were introduced to four gentlemen that work with PEP. Meeting those gentlemen not only reassured our confidence in the PEP program, but also showed us how much support we really have. Not only the support we have in prison, but the tremendous amount of support we will have upon our release from prison. While learning more information about these gentlemen, they also informed us that they were not only employees of PEP, but were once incarcerated and were actual students of PEP. That revelation helped relieve any questions we had about the benefits of PEP. It is one thing to hear the great things about this program and what it can do, but to meet and shake hands with men who have actually been through what we are going through and made it out to the other side, makes a huge difference. After introductions these gentlemen began to go into great detail the wide range of benefits that are available. They are also a great number of non-profits and other organizations that PEP works with that are there to help us at any point in the transitional process. The presentation that these four gentlemen gave and their patience and willingness to answer every question we had really gave us a better idea of what PEP program is as a whole.

Kevin H. (aka “Allstate Guy”)

Friday                                                                                                                       July 5, 2024

            Today the servant leaders and current class members gave inspirational speeches during toastmasters. The theme of today was to encourage one another and to keep persevering through the difficulties we face both in the program and in our daily lives. When we hear each other give their testimony it gives us hope as well as a sense of camaraderie with each other. We find comfort by being there for each other and able to hold each other accountable for our actions. After toast master’s we went over chapters five and six of living in the village. The chapters were about financial planning and how to properly repair and build credit. We also learned about the steps to dispute claims, report identity theft and get copies of our credit reports. Next we received praise reports from our classmates and servant leaders. Those that were nominated danced to the front of the class to say thanks and give words of encouragement. During the second half of the day, we had executive volunteers come in and give us insight on business and their entrepreneurial experiences. They gave great examples and advice that will help us develop our individual business plans. We are grateful for the people that volunteer their time and continue to show their dedication to the prison entrepreneurship program. They not only challenge us to do better but are helping us become better people.

Christian H. (aka “Cartman”)

Expressions

“However bad life may seem there is always something you can do and succeed at.”

– Stephen Hawking

            Between stimulus and response there is a space, in that space is our power to choose response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Every day that we decide to do the right thing is a step toward a positive future, and with that positive future comes a life full of integrity, love and excellence! Success isn’t defined by money, possessions, or being the CEO, it’s defined by the decisions that we make when no one sees them, a positive outcome is the ultimate goal.

George Merritt (aka “Groot”)

Monday                                                                                                                June 24, 2024

            We had a wonderful day today! Our classroom was full of positivity and good energy radiated from the room! From our brief time in PEP, we have all improved so much and in many different ways. From learning about business, public speaking, character development, and becoming better men. Today we started on our second lesson for “Toast Masters,” which we focused on our speeches having an opening statement, a body or what the speech is all about, and a conclusion. We all worked on our speeches keeping these three things in mind. We are putting forth our best efforts in this program because not everybody gets such a once in a lifetime opportunity to change their lives while in prison. Even though we’ve only just started, we are making so much positive progress in becoming better fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, uncles, and grandfathers. Today was a particularly good day! We are learning to step out of our comfort zones and be confident and calm while speaking in front of large groups of people. We are all excited to begin a new chapter and we look forward to this opportunity to start a journey in a new direction with our brothers (classmates). Thank you and God Bless.

Jason F. (aka “Magic Man”)

Tuesday                                                                                                               June 25, 2024

Our class had our first entrepreneurship test today and although the mood was somewhat uneasy at first those feelings only briefly lasted thanks to the morale and positivity of the servant leaders. On days like today, taking the first test, there was a sense of uneasiness among us. However, today was a day of sheer determination by all of us awesome participants, as servant leaders helped to explain the plan for the day and guide us. The test ended up not being as difficult as we had anticipated. Afterwards we returned to the main classroom and dove into more unfamiliar territory in the form of an introduction to the “economics of one unit,” which deals with the numbers and economics aspect of business. Although math is not a strong suit for many of us, we were instructed diligently, and we learned as best we could. The dedication of the servant leaders truly helped matters. As we finished for the day, smiles and laughter replaced the looks of nervousness that were displayed in the morning on account of the entrepreneurship test. Misperception was quickly replaced by joy and positivity. Morale was at an all-time high as the day concluded. Today, the servant leader mentality and wise stewardship was displayed to the highest of standards.

Aaron F. (aka “Homer Simpson”)

Wednesday                                                                                                         June 26, 2024

            Today we got straight into business since our first big event (an event is a opportunity to practice skills that we have learned in front of people that are referred to as executives (these are professional business people who come to the unit and volunteer their time to help our class)) is this Friday. We immediately started practicing our pitches. We all learned how important it is to encourage our brothers, enlighten each other, and push each other to their maximum potential. We overcame challenges such as public speaking, reciting one-minute pitches, and shaking off the nerves that come with preparing for something as exciting as this first event. We are all closer to accomplishing our goals of executing this first “Big idea pitch” event where we will all deliver pitches based on our business ideas to a group of executives who will then grade our ideas and choose 20 participants to move on to the next stage. We had the opportunity to give each other feedback on our business pitches, as well as dance throughout the remainder of the class to have some fun! We are all grateful for this program helping us with communication, patience, how to run a business, and how to work well with others. Also, we are grateful for our servant leaders and the help they give us with our businesses, tests, and speaking in public. We are excited about what next week is to bring, thank you PEP for this Fresh-Start!

Steven G. (aka “Jerry Springer”)

Thursday                                                                                                             June 27, 2024

            We are in our fourth week of class and we’re getting ready for our first event, which is the “Big Idea Pitch” event. We are all nervous for this Friday where we will have the opportunity to pitch our business ideas to a group of executives. Today during the first half of class Dougal Cameron, who is a great volunteer, came in to teach us about chapter 3 in our entrepreneurship book, which goes over how to generate a business idea and the initial evaluation. Chapter 4 is how to examine and create a profile for a new business. We also had a conversation with Dougal about how Dave Ramsey and Robert Kiyosaki differ and what he thinks would be the correct way to invest in real estate. We looked over a pamphlet for one of Cameron’s commercial buildings and it had the history of the building, floor layouts, and balance sheets. We discussed how the commercial real estate market has been down since COVID and about ways to market the building so it can be leased and how he first became interested in the building. During the second half of class we took our “Living in The Village” quiz on chapters 3 and 4 which went over budgeting, saving money and investing. We ended our eventful day by practicing our pitches, today was great and full of helpful lessons.

Alfonso G. (aka “Mario”)

Friday                                                                                                                    June 28, 2024

            Today we had an amazing day! Early in the morning everybody was smiling and encouraging one another. The excitement was everywhere as we had a chance to fellowship. This is the day that everyone in our class has been getting ready for “The Big Idea Pitch,” which is the day we get to pitch our own original business plans. Everyone in our class had the opportunity to present their business plan to the executives. We received great advice, and we started networking with the executives. They were great the made us feel the reality of a “Fresh Start Outlook.” We have a lot of support from them, they used words like “we believe in you, we care for you, and we love you.” Early in the morning we didn’t know what to expect, but it was above our expectations, and we received so much love. Everybody had fun and walked around with smiles on their faces. Our hearts were filled with joy and gratitude, and it all goes out to the executives for the time that they poured into us. This is just the beginning of our new story, and we will continue to do our absolute best and take advantage of this huge opportunity that PEP has provided for us.

“Proper preparation prevents poor performances.” We definitely had time to prepare for this day and thank you Servant-Leaders for all that you have helped us with and all the time that you all have put into us. Today was a great accomplishment for all of us! We are all ready for the next event and we hope to see all the executives again.

Franklin V. (aka “Pedro”)

Expressions

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong but not rude, be kind but not weak, be bold but not a bully, be humble but not timid, have pride but don’t be arrogant, have humor but without folly.”

            This quote means a lot to me simply because these are sincere qualities that all leaders must have to achieve the highest level of making other leaders. PEP has inspired all of us to have these same characteristics and attributes by giving us the tools to become great leaders for the next class and when we make it out of here. My goal is to become a light for those who are stuck in the dark so that everyone may find their own way!

Kendarius Gray (aka “DJ”)

Monday                                                                                                                June 17, 2024

Today we got to participate in Toast Masters which is an internationally renowned curriculum where we study and practice communication skills. During meetings we introduce speakers and practice giving speeches to the class. We perform other roles that provide feedback that helps us improve. The most important part of Toast Masters is to prepare us for our speeches and business pitches that we will be doing in the near future. Using toast masters helps us create an energy that is really fun, and we can’t resist laughing, joking, and just enjoying the moment. We do our best and have fun which is one of our 10 driving values. We trust, believe, and have faith that we will be prepared for our speeches, our business pitches and in life. One of the challenges we overcame today was speaking in front of an audience. To support one another we gave tips and encouragement to overcome whatever we are struggling with and created a friendly and productive environment. As we continue to practice and excel, we know that we will be able to accomplish the goals that we have in this program and be successful when we are released. We are all grateful for this program. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t trying to become the best version of ourselves. PEP helps us take our mind off prison life and puts it on something that we can utilize in life on the outside. With the love that we have in our class, we will be able to push one another to strive for excellence.

Daniel Crookshank (aka “Lil Dog”)

Tuesday                                                                                                               June 18, 2024

Today we had a guest speaker talk about separate ways to study and showed us ways to study that will help us retain the most information efficiently in a short amount of time. “Treasure hunting” is (our class liked the most) asking yourself questions like, who, what, when, and where before you read each chapter and taking notes using your answers. Doing this will not only help you retain information, but it will also help you understand what you just read. The second half of class consisted of computer lab time. We took a mock test to get us acclimated to logging on and off the computers and the testing web site. Our servant-leaders made sure we were all comfortable using the computers so when test day comes everything will go smoothly. We are grateful for the PEP staff making this class available. PEP teaches us about business as well as living between “the wings” (living your life by the principles of PEP which include ten driving values). We have only been in class for two weeks and have learned so much, thank you PEP.

Terrance Decoline (aka “”)

Thursday                                                                                                             June 20, 2024

Today our lesson came from our Entrepreneurship textbook which was taught by some amazing guests. We also learned not to ever give up no matter how hard it may get and to always keep striving for greatness in life. We were also taught how we can make ethical business decisions as we are trying to make our business and our lives successful. We had opportunities to listen to our guests talk about how investors may want to invest in our businesses, not only because we believe in ourselves, but because they believe in us as well. We are grateful for the executives/mentors taking time from their busy days to teach us valuable information so we can have the best chance at success upon release. As of today, we are all closer to accomplishing our goals because we know what it takes to be and stay focused, and that failing is sometimes one of the greatest things that can happen. Because when you fail you just discover a way not to do something. We are gaining all the tools necessary to be entrepreneurs. We are going to continue striving for greatness no matter how big the obstacle is!

Jerrail Edwards (aka “”)

Friday                                                                                                                   June 21, 2024

            We started with a volunteer praying in the class to start our day. We immediately went into “Toast Masters,” with the topic of “Ice breaker.”  We gave a speech about ourselves to help the class better understand who we are and where we came from. Each day in PEP we’re developing a brotherhood so we can accomplish our goals together, overcoming obstacles and becoming better men. This program is especially important to us, even though we have just begun, it feels as if we’ve been here for so long and learned so much about business, and character development. We all see transformation happening within the class and it’s truly fascinating to watch. Being around so many helpful resources and people with like minds has made the process of becoming better men much easier. PEP has given us the opportunity to turn away from our old lives and start a new chapter. We are grateful for the Fresh-start outlook that we’ve received upon being accepted into this program. We’re excited for the road ahead and look forward to being servant leaders for the next class!

Larry Elder (aka “”)

Expressions

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

– Apostle Paul

            This verse from the Bible means so much to me because it explains that with love, even though life has its troubles, taught me to overcome the struggles and difficulties of my life. It also has given me hope and discernment. It’s given me an applicable faith in people and a love for them. Overall, love has taught me to never give up and not to look back but look forward at what lies ahead.

Carlos Lara (aka “Lil Mermaid”)

Monday                                                                                                                June 10, 2024

            Today we started our second week of class. Upon our arrival our first order of business was to turn in our heart check assignment. This assignment is a good indicator of our commitment to PEP and doing whatever is asked of us. It was difficult and we had a firm deadline, but this is designed to bring out in us the positive values we are striving to live by: execution, excellence, integrity, and accountability are a few examples. Next, we divided the class into two groups for our Toast Masters class. In each group we learned about the roles involved within a standard Toast Masters meeting, then we got to business! We had speakers, evaluators, grammarians and even a timekeeper. Speaking in front of everyone and being a part of these different roles was not an easy task, but we encouraged each other and pulled through to the end. We learned and laughed with each other along the way and had fun! Today’s topic of discussion was the “Ice Breaker,” which is just a 5-7-minute speech about our lives. We all executed our speeches and concluded our day with encouraging words from our Toast Master’s president. Today was a very eventful day and we’re all so thankful for this class. Let’s go class of fall 2024!

Gerald B. (aka “Dobby”)

Tuesday                                                                                                               June 11, 2024

            Today as we arrived at class to find an inspirational quote on the board. We all wrote the quote down and what it meant to us in our own words. This is great exercise because it forces us to think and we all like that there are no wrong answers; just our opinion on what we think. After that we learned about product service offering. This lesson came alive when we had the opportunity to stand up and ask questions about the lesson. As a team, we are accomplishing things daily. We realize that the second chance PEP is giving us should not be taken lightly. We have a family, so we are making changes here so we can bless our families. With that being said, PEP is handing us the tools needed such as the “Ten Driving Values” in order to help us become successful members of society.

Calib C. (aka “Sid from Toy story”)

Wednesday                                                                                                         June 12, 2024

            Today we started our day with a pray in. Our first three guest speakers talked to us more about what the Prison Entrepreneurship Program has to offer for us upon our release. We got to watch an inspiring video about a PEP brother that was released from prison, started to work, saved up and eventually created his own business that is now worth more than two million dollars! That is so inspirational. We also learned about Entre Capital and how they help people with criminal backgrounds get loans and what they have to offer us once we are released. They offer six months free bookkeeping for new business ventures, help file for an LLC and EIN, and even offer business mentorship. After today we are starting to feel that PEP is a real program that genuinely wants to help us become better men. The program has given us all hope and encouragement to push on and not give up on our journey. We feel that even though times may get hard the end results will be worth it. We are truly thankful for all that PEP does for us, we are appreciative of all the things not only our servant leaders do but also the in-prison management team and volunteers. The class of fall 2024 is on the rise!

Jake C. (aka “Mr. Crocker”)

Thursday                                                                                                             June 13, 2024

            Today started much like all the rest, praying in, and showing love to our classmates by shaking each other’s hands and having short conversations with each other. To get into today’s lesson the servant leaders had to show off their dance skills to get to the front of the classroom, something that everyone has to do if they want to speak in front of the class. After all this we went over our schedule for the next week, then we dove right into going over assignments from “Living in the village.” We learned about building our financial future and strengthening our community that included surprising statistics about saving and investing our money into assets. After “Living in the village” we watched a short movie on the book “Who moved my cheese.” The book is about four characters that face changes in their lives and the thought process they each go through. We all enjoyed discussing with one another who it is we could identify with personally. After this we had time for a few classmates to practice their pitches in front of the class. We all have to do our own pitch, and with just two short weeks until our first big pitch event it was great practice! Today was a pretty short day, but we came in, and executed what it is we needed to get done.

Wesley B. (aka “Beavis”)

Friday                                                                                                                   June 14, 2024

            On Friday we started our day off by praying in by thanking God for yet another blessed day. We had an awesome guest speaker today. His main focus within the PEP program is character development. We learned how to work on re-entry into the world while we are here; one step at a time. Our guest spoke about the time that he did in TDCJ and how he overcame the obstacles he went through while being incarcerated. It is truly inspiring to hear someone else’s story and be able to see them succeed in life. Today we also learned that it’s not about the challenges we encounter but how we react to them! We worked on our business pitches that we are going to be pitching on the 28^th of June in front of our class and a panel of executives (these are men and women who volunteer their time to come to the Cleveland Unit to work with our PEP classes). We are trying to get our timing down; since this is just our elevator pitch it needs to be delivered in one minute to a minute and a half. While some of us were practicing our pitches, others worked on their coat of arms (which is just a poster with our picture on it that exemplifies who we are and things we enjoy). Today was an eventful day full of valuable information, and we are looking forward to what next week has in store!

Joshua C. (aka “Uncle Elroy”)

Expressions

“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it?”

– Marcus Aurelius

            If I allow anger to nest within me and begin to boil up, the repercussions of this unchecked emotion are more dangerous than the actual anger itself. It will hurt me and others and perhaps even those I care about. If I can, with God, overcome my own anger I can save the world a whole lot of anguish. When anger comes, don’t let it fester, extinguish the fire, apologize sincerely, learn from others’ mistakes, and our own, because in doing so we become better.

Eleazar Flores (aka “Fruit Stick”)

Monday                                                                                                                  June 3, 2024

            Today was the first official day for the class of Fall 2024, We got up early this morning to get to the PEP classroom and get ready to have a positive day full of valuable information to apply to our lives. We had a meeting first with our peers and fellow servant leaders (men that are graduates of PEP from previous classes). We also had a good long talk about what we are going to be doing in PEP not only in the classroom but in the dorms as well. Everyone in the room introduced themselves and gave encouraging words. Later in the afternoon we arrived at class and one of our fellow brothers prayed us in after that our teacher, Donald, talked about what curriculum we will be using during this class, and he spoke about the accountability process. We learned how important it is to hold ourselves and each other accountable for our actions. Then our classroom MC (master of ceremonies) then spoke to us about the importance of PEP’s 10 driving values and how we should strive to live by them each and every day. He told us we will be learning more about the 10 driving values throughout class. We then received our books for the class which included our Entrepreneurship, Living in the Village, a journal and our Better Man and Toastmasters books. We have a big opportunity for us to evolve from our current selves. This program is different than most, but we are all learning to step out of our comfort zones to become better men for ourselves and our families!

Joseph A. (aka “Patchy the Pirate”)

Tuesday                                                                                                                 June 4, 2024

            Today we had a class on toastmasters (public speaking program), we learned how to host a toastmaster meeting. The servant leaders showed us how many minutes we had to speak during particular parts of the meeting, we also learned about filler words such as “and, um, uh.” We also learned about PEP’s 10 driving values: Fresh-start outlook, servant leader mentality, love, innovation, accountability, integrity, execution, fun, excellence, and wise stewardship. We then had an opportunity to walk around the classroom and meet one another and kind of get to know everyone in our class a little more. Our classroom MC explained a few things about our curriculum, and we had an opportunity to learn some stuff about the servant leaders and some of their positions in the class. We then picked each other “sweet names” (in PEP we have sweet/fun names) and danced down the center of the classroom. We also had time to share a few laughs with each other and have some fun, and we had the opportunity to become closer to accomplishing our goals of become better men. We are all grateful for the second chance we have gotten by being accepted into this program so we can get it right and succeed in becoming better husbands, sons, fathers etc. We are all really excited about the rest of this year and where PEP is going to lead us!

Shane B. (aka “Fire Marshal Bill”)

Wednesday                                                                                                           June 5, 2024

            Let’s start off by saying today was a fun and educational day for us all in PEP. Every day we get to meet plenty of brothers from all walks of life with one thing in common, we are all trying to become the best version of ourselves on this journey. We started today like every other day by dancing and cheering each other on. We then moved on to start our “Betterman” class. We watched the “Betterman” video for the day, then we got together in groups with a servant-leader to discuss some table questions about the topic that was discussed during the video. Our group talked about bringing strength to our communities and the lies that men tend to believe about themselves. After “Betterman” we moved on to learning about the 4 boxes for our business plans. Our teacher explained how we will be using, executing, and expressing our business elements and learning more interesting methods and facts involving speaking and presenting our elevator pitch (a 30 second “talk” about our business to a stranger). We also talked about our body language and overall confidence and being passionate about whatever business we choose to pursue and how to successfully show others our goals in presentations. Just when you think it’s all work and no play, we celebrated birthdays and gave some more of our classmate’s sweet names. It felt good to share a laugh with our brothers at the end of the day. This is not only a second chance, but it is a first for individuals with massive amounts of talents!

Isaiah B. (aka “Sponge Bob”)

Thursday                                                                                                               June 6, 2024

            Today in class as a whole we all gained a bit more confidence. We are getting more involved interacting with each other and asking questions, sharing ideas, inspiring each other, and having fun sharing sweet names and dancing! We learned today about financial literacy from the book called “Living in the Village.” The class went great, we had two new servant leaders help us learn the material. We learned about basic finance in chapters 1 and 2, in our Entrepreneurship Book. Then two more brothers (classmates) stepped up and presented their business pitches giving us encouragement to begin our elevator pitch as well. Our class is doing great on the heart check (the accountably portion of the program), we motivate, encourage, and push each other to excellence with loving and fun accountability. We have all been assigned to complete the heart check by Monday and as each day goes by, we get more ambitious to do better. We all ask each other how far we are into our heart check to compete with each other to see who can finish first! This not only motivates but it cultivates closer relationships between us as we learn more about each other. We are excited to see the men we become as the program moves forward, and we are grateful for the opportunity PEP has given us, fall 2024 is here to execute!

Leroy B. (aka “Napoleon Dynamite”)

Friday                                                                                                                     June 7, 2024

Ivan B. (aka “Reggie from Nutty Professor”)

Expressions

“Life is 10% of what happens 90% of how we respond”

Sometimes we respond to trivial things in life. Things that really do not matter but that we turn into a great deal. If we sit down and really look at it our reaction to what happens is more then what really just happened. Maybe we should sit down, take the time to look at what is going on and decide to see if it is really worth a reaction or if we should just let it be.

Keith C. (aka “Green Power Ranger”)