Bell Summer 2025 Weekly Journals

Monday           March 17, 2025 

       Today starts our seventh week of proudly being a part of PEP’s class of Summer ‘25. After taking our time to greet each other, (showing some love) we had one of our brother’s pray-in and we started our day. Our fearless Servant Leaders passed out our 6th assignment of our business plan, which was a financial analysis worksheet. We were given a detailed power point presentation to clarify the instructions we needed to follow. We are now prepared to prove the legitimacy of our business plans on a spread sheet. The financial analysis will estimate our annual revenue and deduct expenses to arrive at our total net profits for the fiscal year. It was a very educational presentation. Our second half of class was as productive as our first half. Some of us got to take our entrepreneur test over chapters 9 and 12, these covered the different business structures, their legal standing points, establishing operations, and critical path charts. With rapid click clack on the keyboards, we spewed our newfound knowledge from our memory onto the computer screen, and proudly provided proof of our hard work, explaining in detail our open responses, and submitting them with confidence. We finished our wonderful day with a pray-out.   

“Mario Duque.” (aka “the chihuahua from Taco Bell”) 

Tuesday           March 18, 2025 

       Today we started our day in true PEP fashion with a pray-in followed by showing our brothers’ love. This allows us to get out of our comfort zone and be able to be open to one another and establish good relationships with our fellow brothers. Today we tested on our Entrepreneurship lessons. We were split into groups, some of us got to test in the morning while the rest of us tested in the afternoon. For those of us who are left behind while the others are testing, we got to practice on our Marketing Workshop videos. These are videos we are recording to send off to executives to give us feedback on our presentations. This was also an opportunity to work together with our teams. These videos consist of the CEO, CMO, and COO. We put together our presentations according to our position on our team. These videos are going to help us get ready for our next event, where we will compete versus other teams to move on to the finals on graduation day. It is awesome to watch our fellow brothers grow and develop into great leaders and speakers. At the end of the day, we all came together as one of our brothers prayed-out for us and our loved ones. 

“Martin McCain”. (aka “Smeagol from Lord of The Rings”) 

Wednesday           March 19, 2025 

       Today we assembled into our classroom well rested and energized. As everyone piled in, we began to greet each other and make small talk. The atmosphere was electric, the music was pumping as we turned up Joe Lane to get the mood right and our day started. Our days were a bit different as our fearless leader Martin Herrera felt compelled to speak from his heart. Martin talked about his own life experiences, having been a broken man himself. Martin used the overhead board to show us how we can find healing and wholeness in Christ. The whole class was moved, to say the least, and we agreed that his presentation was profound. Wednesdays we go over Living in The Village preparing ourselves for our test on Thursday. We went over the best ways to get financially stable, which was everything from high yield interest accounts to Roth IRA’S was covered. Second half we changed gears to what most guys agree is the best part of the curriculum. The “Betterman” segment. This is a spiritual based course that helps men build characteristics taught in the Bible. Most men have said “I’m that guy.” Well, this down-to-earth and personalized course teaches us how to be “that guy.” Finally, we ended our day with a prayer to help us be the best that we could be, take care of the families, and get home soon. It was a great and productive day here at the Bell Unit and our PEP class.  

“Mark Manchaca”. (aka “Bob from La Bamba”) 

Thursday           March 20, 2025 

       Today was an exceptional day! We got to class, had a great Pray-In, and showed love to all our brothers. We went over the lessons for chapters 6 & 7 of our Entrepreneurship workbooks. Mr. Keith McJunkin, who is a successful volunteer, came to over the chapters with us. He shared some extremely useful and valuable information with us about analyzing cash flow and other financial information. Dougal went over some lessons learned and “million-dollar ideas”! Overall, we had an informative and educational study group, and we appreciated Mr. Keith McJunkin sharing his personal insight on the subject with us. After we had our study group there was a gentleman named Terry Looper who authored the book titled: “Sacred Pace”. He came and spoke to us about his book and his life. We were able to interact with him and ask questions after he spoke. He was very understanding with our class, and we had an enjoyable time going over his book. We are grateful for the time and energy that the volunteers give us and how they pour into us. It is amazing to have these people as part of our journey. We have been through tough times in our lives, but it is nice to see someone who believes in us like PEP. We gain so much from this, and it is truly a blessing. We prayed-out and were dismissed. 

“Zackeith Eason.” (aka “Lurch from the Adam’s Family”) 

Friday           March 21, 2025 

     As the day began with the DJ playing some motivating music to get us going, it is always great to come into class and have some positive energy. After our pray-in, we started Toastmasters. This course is great, and it helps us develop communication skills. We watch as our fellow brothers participate and gain this powerful communications tool. The fact that we are all striving to become better listeners and communicators shows real investment on a personal level and as a group. Toastmasters is the one class we really feel engaged in and makes us want to be the best version of ourselves. Verbal communication skills are important in becoming successful in everything we do and step by step we are seeing the rewards given to us in Toastmasters. This class will benefit us not only soon, but it will have a long-lasting positive effect on the rest of our lives. Getting something positive from a negative situation immeasurable or as the credit card commercial says “It’s Priceless.” Though every day is a challenge in PEP, it will only turn us into better men. In our usual manner we closed out our day with a pray-out 

“Jacha Escatiola.” (aka “Cockroach from Joe’s Apartment”) 

Expressions 

“Don’t sweat the small stuff” 

-Benjamin Shield 

     I think it is safe to say that we all have those times in life when we are having a bad day and someone asks us, “what’s wrong?”  As we pause for a moment to think, we find that we cannot think of a reason or why we are so upset, usually it is just a jumble of small stuff we have no control over. This “small stuff” still manages to bother us enough to affect how we act and how we treat others. Today I am here to tell everyone, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Give it to God and let him sort through the mess and turn into a message. 

Monday                                                                                                       March 10, 2025

Today was a very informative day.  We had a lecture on EOUs, which is “Economics of One Unit.”  This was a little difficult being that some of us have not done mathematical equations in many years.  It was something we wanted to learn so, we paid attention and did the best we could to understand it. The guys teaching the lesson did a good job at explaining the EOUs. After the lesson we got to enjoy some videos that one of the in-house managements brought in, showing us how he would give back to the community by giving away shoes to kids going back to school, and to some of our fellow PEP brother who graduated from E-School out there in the free world. After the videos we turned up one of our fellow brothers, because it was his birthday.  Turned up just means we clap and cheer him on as he danced to some positive music from the back of the room to the front.

When we came back the second half, we prepared ourselves mentally for the Entrepreneurship test. For some reason we get nervous. We had already gone over the material this past Thursday and we had all prepared over the weekend. These are some of the things we have learned here at PEP, which are execution and excellence, and this what we strive for.  We ended this awesome day with our daily ritual, praying-out.

“Jamichael C”. (aka “Mr. T”)

Tuesday                                                                                                      March 11, 2025

Today was a great day in our Entrepreneurship class. We were able to accomplish a lot of positive things and we began our day with our weekly entrepreneurship testing. This week’s tests were over Business mission & strategy and marketing. These two chapters really gave us the opportunity to gain some valuable information when moving forward in our businesses and developing a business plan. Afterward we had the privilege to listen to PEPs CEO Chip Skowron and he gave us some great insight on the program, on life and how important fun is to him, and that we should all have it in our lives. 

Our second half was just as great. We met and spoke to the family liaison, Theresa Black.  She seems to really have a passion for connecting with us and our loved ones. She asked if we want her to contact our families, how our relationship is with them, and who would be attending our graduation. It was truly uplifting to have this person (Theresa Black) come in and put in the time and effort to keep us connected, or re-connect for some, with our families, who mean the world to us. Today it showed that we were all grateful to be a part of this brotherhood, and to get to watch and help each other grow and succeed. All in all, we had a wonderful day which ended with the perfect pray-out.

“Aaron D.”. (Aka “Doofy, from scary movie”)

Wednesday                                                                                                March 12, 2025

Today was a very good day! It turned out to be a very well-rounded day for us. The two subjects we touched on today were “Living in The Village”, which is pretty much like the Bible on how to navigate our finances, and “Betterman”, a seminar led by the pastor Jonathan Pokluda. As we are getting deeper into the class material, we are gaining more and more insight, not only on the subject matters, but also in our hearts and minds as well. During our first half, Timothy P. (a servant leader) gave us the lesson on the “Living in The Village” book, expanding on the lesson using real life scenarios. Afterward, he was available for any question we may have had.

In our second half of class we watched the “Betterman” video. Surprisingly we found it very pleasant and inspiring. Pastor Pokluda speaks so candidly and in a way that truly gets through to us. Today his talk was “Why is Dad so Important”. Now, due to the fact that many of us have dad issues, this subject garner the most attention from us, not only because of dad issues we may or may not have, but also because we must learn how to become better fathers ourselves. After the seminar video, we broke into small groups and shared our thoughts on the talk, which proved to be a key element in the learning experience. At the day’s end we closed out in true PEP fashion, with a pray-out.

“Participant name”. (aka “Fun name”)

Thursday                                                                                                    March 13, 2025

Today was an exceptional day!  We had not one, nor two, but three speakers come in today and give us some supreme knowledge on entrepreneurship. All three speakers are very successful and experienced business owners. Dougal spoke to us about avoiding going into business with a partner, but if you do bring in at least 51% or more into the partnership. He also taught us to make sure to read the fine print on every contract you sign. Diana spoke to us about the different types of corporations there are available and the difference between them.  She told us when we decide to go into business for ourselves, not to become a sole proprietor, because when they sue the company they are actually suing the owner. The fact that Dougal, Diana, and Jake took time out of their busy day to come teach us is truly a blessing.

During our second half of class we took three tests, the PEP “10 Driving Values”, “Living in The Village”, and “True North.”  The “10 Driving Values” are what PEP sets is standards on for the participants to live by. “Living in The Village” teaches us about finances and True North is about learning how to be a leader. Though we were very nervous, we were able to get through the tests. It was truly an educational day for us.

“Robert Dickerson”. (aka “Heathrow from Madea”)

Friday                                                                                                          March 14, 2025

Today we did something called “Toastmasters” and it’s what we do on Fridays here at PEP. This class helps us work on our public speaking in front of large crowds. We first started Toastmaster’s therefore we were nervous and uncomfortable, but it has elevated our ability to speak while gaining confidence at the same time. Toastmaster’s has been a blessing and a big learning experience for us all.  Since the program started, everyone has been spreading positive energy and have a vison on what we want to accomplish before and after our release.

Today, just like all our other days in class, was fun and exciting. Every day we get closer to graduation, classes get more interesting and we can feel the positive energy in the air. We hope to stay involved in the PEP community, where we are offered so many options to be successful and become better men for ourselves and are families. We can truly say PEP has been a blessing and that we all have one thing in common and we are very grateful to have been giving the opportunity to participate in this program. As our day came to an end, and each one of us had the opportunity to share our story, one of our brothers concluded with a beautiful pray-out.

“Daniel D”. (aka “Stewie”)

Expressions

“Don’t dwell on the past, but rather focus on today and your future”

-unknown-

It has taken a lot from me to finally move on from past failures, whether people or behaviors that have set me back into recidivism, or negative relationships. At the end of the day it’s my decisions that lead me to fail and place myself in a deeper hole that seemed impossible to get out of.  I have come a long way. The hope of a wonderful life was imbedded in my mind and I ran with it. I wanted something else for my life. Through PEP I have instilled these incredible work ethics and perseverance to tackle any obstacle that gets in my way.  

 “Sergio C”. (aka “Squirtle”)

Monday                                                                                                       March 3, 2025

Today was a very interesting day. We talked about some of the performances that were done at the Big Idea Pitch Event and we also discussed the homework that was issued out for the “Thank You cards.” Thank You cards are written to thank the executives for being here with us through our PEP journey. We take those cards very serious and no mistakes are tolerated when dealing with them. Our topic of discussion had to do with one of our driving values, “Accountability”, which means owning up to your actions and taking responsibility for the decisions we make. We also found out we will be taking our entrepreneurship test for the second time. So, I guess you can say, “our cheese was moved.” That is the term we use in PEP to mean that plans have been changed, which alludes to the book titled: “Who Moved My Cheese.”

Today the “Chief Executive Officers” were chosen from Friday’s Big Pitch Idea Event. Afterward, there was a draft to choose the “Chief Financial Officers”, “Chief Marketing Officers” and “Chief Operation Officers” for the businesses chosen. One thing discussed that was very useful to us was that we should always show each other love and support. By doing a team building exercise we learned that trust and collaboration are the two most concrete foundations to be successful. Each individual team had to try to build the highest tower using spaghetti, string, tape and marshmallows. We had fun and we closed out our day with a pray-out.

 “Isaac C”. (aka “Buzzard from Looney Tunes”)

Tuesday                                                                                                      March 4, 2025

We came into class to good music as we walked around shaking our brothers’ hands. Then, as we all stood, everybody grabbed their neighbors’ hands and prayed in. After, that we finished assigning each other “fun names.” We give each other fun names which we have to say when introducing ourselves in order to break us out of the prison mentality. After that, we enjoyed a few songs from the devotional team, as well as a short speech and prayer. Most of us took the entrepreneurship test on chapters 3 and 4 while the others practiced on their team introductions for the next big pitch. We can’t wait to see what the next pitch is going to be like.

We also talked about the “10 Driving Values.” Those values are everything to us in PEP. They are standards we set and apply to our lives in order to live by them. Today the main values we discussed were Accountability and Integrity. We learned that we have to be able to take accountability for our own actions, also that we have to have integrity by making sure we’re doing our best when no one is around. We are very grateful to be a part of PEP and we know this journey will open doors for us that we have been needing. At the end, in PEP tradition, we closed out with a pray-out.

 “Jerry C”. (aka “Fat Albert”)

Wednesday                                                                                                March 5, 2025

Today was another instructive and educational day in class. We learned the importance of estate planning and the importance of planning in order to provide a stable future for those we left behind. Also, we went over a chapter in “Living in The Village” and we were able to learn about credit. “Living in The Village” is a very helpful book we have to read by the end of class that talks about the financial aspect of things. Then, we learned how to establish and maintain credit. We discussed what it means to have a good credit score and a bad credit score. In this class we are learning how to manage our funds and also how it is to not be selfish and give to receive our blessings.

As an added blessing to our class we had some visitors from PEP Re-Entry stop by to pay us a visit. They covered many topics. The two that caught our attention the most were the transitional houses and the funding options for felons upon release. For a lot of us an address for parole is vital to our release.  Many of us have family members to parole to for those who don’t the transitional houses are awesome. PEP provides transportation, clothes and a bus pass if needed when released, which is great! We love PEP and the blessings it has to offer for us! Today was a great learning experience. We prayed out and that concluded our day of class.

 “John C”. (aka “Hot Tamale”)

Thursday                                                                                                    March 6, 2025

In today’s class we started off with the pray-in, followed by the entrepreneurial dissertation. This course is taught by Mrs. Diana and Mr. Dougal.  Today lessons were great! They discussed chapters 5 and 11 of the Entrepreneurship book, which were: Business Mission & Strategy and Marketing. We learned about online directories which are, Google Listing, Next Door, and Yelp. They talked to us about creating a website and we learned that money is a source of communication along with having morals and standards with who you do business with. This week we had a guest speaker come in, Mr. Mark. He is one of the top insurance agents in the city of Houston. His message to us was to never, never, never give up. To always keep faith in God, have a healthy balance with working and down time. He pointed out that the world was made in six days and on the seventh God rested. After our lesson we were given the opportunity to ask questions and mingle with all three executives.  Before we prayed out they let us know how we had done on our entrepreneur test the previous day.

Our second half of class was very productive. After pray-in we jumped right into our “Living in the Village” test over chapters five and six. Living in the Village is a book that teaches us financial terms and positive habits to develop when it comes to our financial futures. Much of what we learn in the “Living in the Village” book was never taught to us in grade school.  It’s a great read and study guide for building our finances, credit, disputing credit reports, as well as informing us about insurance, wills & testaments. We finished our day by watching the “Betterman” video and working on the workbook in small groups.

 “Charles C.”. (aka “Buck Wheat”)

Friday

Today we conducted a “Toastmasters” session. We had three “Ice Breaker” speeches to be presented and then some of us got to start on our project number two, “Organize your Speech”. An “Ice Breaker” speech is basically an introduction about oneself. We are moving closer to our goal of becoming a Toastmaster and being able to give a speech in a large group setting. We’ve seen improvement in our brothers’ speeches who were able to give speech number two. When we get out of prison this skill will be crucial to us when pitching at large venues. Each session we commit our efforts to will help us gain confidence in ourselves and our speeches will gain meaning and fluidity. These “Toastmasters” sessions are giving us a sense of organization and structure we must adhere to. This is a wonderful skill to master while it’s given to us for free. Structure will keep us grounded and as a result society will reap bountifully.

Today’s word of the day was “value.” The word of the day is a motivational word that is put on the board to encourage us and the theme of the day was one of our “10 Driving Values”: Wise Stewardship, which means someone entrusted with another’s property or wealth. We each had to mention the word and theme of the day within our speech. Today was a great productive day!

                                                                                              March 7, 2025

 “Brian C”. (aka “Morty from Rick and Morty”)

Expressions

 “You cannot say you not scared of nothing. There’s going to always be something you are scared of, but you can be brave.”

                                                                                                                                    Kevin Gates

I believe that is something that everybody says and has become something as a trend to follow. The same as men are not supposed to cry and not be scared of anything. Again, I believe it causes one to become careless. It becomes a physiological thing that you tend to believe in transforming into an ego or a point must be proven. Sometimes it’s to a point that they don’t care about who or what harm that may come to them or someone else.  Just because they wanted to prove a point and on the other side of that is being brave which has a different perspective on how you handle things you are scared of.

                                    “Kendrick W.”. (aka “None”)

Monday           February 24, 2025 

Today was a good day. As usual, we started off fresh this morning by opening up with a pray-in and we had time to go over our testing schedule. After being divided into our testing groups we then had a presentation about birthday cards for the children of the fathers of the PEP participants. While the media team took funny pictures of guys in front of a backdrop, the business plan team gave a presentation on the market competition. We then learned about the four P’s: product, price, place and promotion. We also learned that a bottle of water with a company logo on it is a great way to promote a business.  

As the presentation and the pictures concluded, we had to show our Peer Educators our 10-driving value workbook to receive our completion mark for the values we studied during the weekend. The two values were “fresh start outlook” and “servant-leader mentality”, which taught us to look at life in a new start from here on out as well as serving others before ourselves. After the books were all checked, we discussed what the rest of the day looked like. It was a pretty good day. We prayed out and class concluded our morning meeting. Then summer 2025 embraced the servant leaders who came in for the presentation and we clapped it out for the day.  

 “Dalton B”. (aka “Macklemore”) 

Tuesday           February 25, 2025 

Today we began class with prayer as usual. We then immediately welcomed our guest speaker Robert Gil, who is a PEP employee. We sat attentively as we listened to our guest share his story. During this time, Robert told us how he’d been sent to prison on charges stemmed from a situation involving domestic violence. He also shared with us how he’d once been a drug dealer and how he’d been faced with temptation to reenter the drug trade when he endured financial troubles. His story was one that many of us could relate to and we were honored to have him amongst us. We weren’t just spectators in the crowd, we were allowed to converse with Robert and gain a greater understanding of the challenges we will be faced with upon release as well as how to overcome those challenges.  

After Robert left, we practiced our business pitches for the upcoming event this Friday. Some of us had mastered our pitches for this Friday and were ready to go, but there were some who still had ways to go. We then went to the computer lab to be tested on the first two chapters of the Entrepreneur book. We were each required to answer ten multiple choice questions, then open response and peer response questions where we were required to grade our classmates. The day was over, ending with more practice for the upcoming event.  

 “Nicholas B”. (aka “Jamie Fox”) 

Wednesday                                                                    February 26, 2025  

Today was a great day to be a part of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program. We had so many twists and turns. Today began with one of our PEP brothers leading us in prayer encouraging Gods presence to be felt. We are in the middle of testing and I hope my PEP brothers pass each test. We’re also practicing our business pitches preparing for our first Big Idea Pitch Event. We did some mock pitches today where we stood in front of the class and performed as if we were standing in front of the executives who will be judging our performances. The executives will select the teams they feel deserve to win and those teams will advance to the next level as a CEO. 

We only have a few days left to get them down pack, fingers crossed, and hopefully everybody does their best and sets the standard for Summer 2025. We had an executive come in today and give us some information on how the program works on the outside once we are released. He also explained how grateful we should be for getting the valuable information and how being a graduate of PEP comes with its own rewards and benefits. He informed us on how Entre Capital works and how we as felons can get certain loans for our business. We are excited to be a part of this program we can’t wait to see what the futures holds for us.  

“Ronnie B”. (aka “George Forman”) 

Thursday           February 27, 2025 

Greetings! Today went well as we prayed in. We watched a video from one of our PEP brothers that’s in the transitional home Covington. We welcomed our speakers of the day, which were: Ms. Diana, professor of Rice University, and Mr. Tim, who was excited about speaking to our class, summer ’25. He talked about his upbringing and also about how he knew Ms. Diana. That was Mr. Tim’s first time entering into a prison setting, although he was calm while speaking. He is from California and is into construction. 

Ms. Diana produced a fun game of vocabulary words out of the Entrepreneurship textbook, chapters 3 and 4 to be exact. We as a class had fun and we had a great learning experience. We also talked about business pertaining to certain vocabulary words about the subject. We learned ways to identify gaps in a business, about good business ideas, and about small businesses. Summer ’25 was very respectful to both the speakers and that was because of their amazing teaching abilities. We had a great understanding on the topics. The room was bursting with great energy all day long. Second half of the day was more of the same once Mr. Dooley began giving his lecture on the Driving Value: Innovation. We also gave some participants some fun names so it was a fun day overall!  

 “Robert B”. (aka “Bobby Brown”) 

Friday           February 28, 2025 

Today was a very big day for summer 2025. Today was pitch day which was an event PEP had for us to pitch our business ideas to executives to determine rather we advance to CEO or not. We had been preparing for this day for weeks. We started the day early, but the actual pitch wasn’t until the p.m. We had to come in early because a few of us had to do test runs to shake the stage fright off. So, a couple of us performed in front of the impact champions, which are individuals who are the first to come in the building and the last to leave. They come to every event and support us by any means necessary.  

The event was being held in the gym and as soon as we walked in the executives and servant leaders were lined up. They made a tunnel as we walked through and they gave us high fives and cheered us on while music played. That got all of us excited and really set the mood. We played a game and the executives on one side and the participants on the other. Questions were asked if it applied to you and had to step towards the line. It was a very fun process. After that was over the pitch off began and each person performed their pitch in front of the judges which were the executives. It was amazing! After we finished we all got time to have one on ones with an executive to get positive feedback from 5 to 10 minutes. The day was coming to an end we all said our farewells thanked God and the day was over. It was such an eye-opening day for all of us now we wait to see who will be the selected CEOs.   

“Demond B”. (aka “The Weekend”) 

Expressions 

Everything happens for a reason 

-unknown 

I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason. I truly believe that all we go through, trials and tribulations, whether good or bad. Sometimes we don’t understand why it happened, or why it’s happening, but always wonder why only the Man upstairs knows what he is doing usually its for the best even if we don’t understand. For instance, I’m still trying to figure out why I am here, but I know the man upstairs knows why and he know exactly what he is doing with all my life. All I can do is put all my faith and trust in him to find my purpose in life. I know one thing though, “Everything Happens for a Reason”. 

“Fabian O.” (aka “Gum Drop”) 

Monday                                                                                                       February 17, 2025

No Class

Tuesday                                                                                                      February 18, 2025

    Today we learned about not giving up and no matter what, to always keep going. Being here at PEP has really broken us out of our shell and it has also allowed us to be more open with one another. Toastmasters has helped us to speak in a professional manner and it shows us how to stop using slang. PEP is not just another “watered-down” program in TDCJ, but it is proactive and vastly different from any other program we have ever been in. The guards here actually treat us with respect and like a human. We genuinely believe God has a big plan for us coming out of this program. Some of us never graduated high school so we really look forward to graduating from this program. We have not been in class for a month, yet we are already learning so much! We will come out changed men if we take advantage of this opportunity. We thank Jesus Christ for this opportunity, and we are so thankful to be here. Out of 10,000 applicants we were some of the ones selected to take part in this program and that alone is a blessing. Character development is key to this wonderful program, and we have so much to learn. PEP is truly a blessing!

“Aaron B.” (aka “none”)

Wednesday                                                                                               February 19, 2025

     We are honored to be participants here at PEP. The development of the men that this program has graduated has been amazing. Being a part of PEP teaches structure and discipline that we can use in our everyday lives. We learned that love is a foundation for a great and successful business and life. We as men understand that a trustworthy business is something that is important and we understand that no matter how hard of a struggle that life may bring, we must be persistent and devoted to a positive vision. We should never say never and always have the attitude to do better. We, as entrepreneurs, understand that things in life may change along the journey to success. In this entrepreneur program we have been taught financial concepts and character development. We have learned how to prioritize and utilize our time wisely because time is very precious and something you will never get back. We are learning you must execute our dreams now and not wait until later. In PEP we have been taught instead of waiting on change, to be the change, and make the change.

“Javarian B”. (aka “Kevin Hart”)

Thursday                                                                                             February 20, 2025

Today we started off class with a pray-in. Then, we were joined by two entrepreneurs who talked about starting a business, the planning process and what it takes to be a successful leader. We learned about building a network and staying involved with the PEP community. Continuing to learn and to grow is important and the more you know the more you grow; and the more you learn the more you earn. It was a terrific opportunity to be able to talk to Mrs. Diana and Mr. Dougal and hear all the valuable wisdom they had to share with us. After they left, we went over chapters 3 and 4 of our “Living in The Village” workbooks and discussed our assignments. We learned about building our financial future, strengthening our communities, and that included several surprising statistics about saving and investing our money into assets. Also, about partnerships, LLCs, and some of the benefits and drawbacks to each. After “Living in the Village,” we watched some short inspirational films about overcoming adversity and being motivated to become better men and to take the steps towards achieving our goals every day. That is exactly what we are doing here in PEP.

Raymond B. (aka “Megan Thee Stallion”)

Friday                                                                                                          February 21, 2025

Today was a wonderful day! It is great to show up to class and get a great burst of energy. The DJ had the music going and we were all just excited to be present and ready to engage in learning.  One of our classroom rituals is to pray-in before we start up the class. After pray in, the MC’S came up and got the class ready and motivated for the day.  Today we got to work on our fun names. Fun names are part of getting out of our comfort zone by trying to brush off the prison mentality. Most of the guys in our class are a bunch of funny characters with strong sense of humor and produce some of the funniest fun names for our fellow PEP brothers. One of the most important parts of having a fun name is that any time a person is called on, either to answer a question or ask a question, we have to say our name and fun name and own it.  We have an event coming up next Friday and it is our first event where we will have to get up in front of some executive volunteers that are coming to hear our elevator pitches for our initial business ideas. It is amazing how we can learn this new skill (public speaking/pitching), practice at it and execute it with greatness. We, future entrepreneurs, guest speakers, leaders. With the guidance of PEP, we are destined to succeed. In our second half of class, we had our Toastmasters’ class, which is a class on learning how to talk in public and properly without using crutch words. It is a great class where we get to help each other get better at these skills. We cannot wait until Monday!

“Black D.” (aka “Damian Wayans”)

Expressions

Instruct the wise and they will be wiser, teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.

                                                                                                              -unknown-

The more you teach someone about life and the experiences through life, the more that a person can pass on to the next person. In other words, you can give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, or you can teach a man to fish, and he can eat for a lifetime. It is important to me to think about passing on the wisdom I have gained through life experience to the next generation, so they do not have to make the same mistakes I have made. If we can give nothing else that pertains to materials or wealth, we can at least pay it forward by giving out the wisdom that we once gained in life.

“Chriss W..” (The Bug from MIB”)

Monday                                                                                                       February 10, 2025

Today, we started off by praying in (as we do every day) by giving thanks to our Creator. Then, after prayer we listened to a couple of our brothers from the outside speak about market research and ways to find data and the material it takes to start your own business. We also talked about being competitive in the marketplace with the products or services we will be offering in our own business plans and if it would be local, state, or even global. We also talked about production, product service and the types of services that we will be offering, like what makes us more unique than our competitors and an explanation of why. Then, we got a brief glimpse of what some visitors who came in from the free world had to say about some of the challenges that lay ahead of us and how to build a solid foundation and network. Also, we heard some tips on how to go about accomplishing goals from short-term to long-term. We are being given a fantastic opportunity to learn, not just about business here, but also about ourselves, our character and how to work with others. We are grateful for this chance to be in PEP  with our new brothers (classmates). Thank you!

 Jim A. (aka “None”)

Tuesday                                                                                                      February 11, 2025

Today was an awesome day in class! We are filled with relief and excitement because we finally executed our heart check assignments, which were intended to keep us focused, motivated, and unite us on our journey to becoming entrepreneurs. It is exciting to be taking the next step forward. We also do a daily journal, in which we write a few words about a subject. For example, Thursday’s journal was: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” -Viktor Frankl- After that, we were given a test from a book that was assigned to us to read called, “Who Moved My Cheese,” which we had fun reading and talking about. The book spoke of four characters and their actions they took as a change came into their lives. It was then a great feeling of relief upon hearing that we passed. After that we started giving one another PEP “fun names.” These “fun names” are given to us to help break down penitentiary facades and damaging mentalities and in the process, we had fun and drew closer. In the second half an alumni brother Johnathan R. gave us great hope and excitement as he shared with us his journey through PEP and entry into the free world and the actions he took towards his goals. He shared some jewels for success especially concerning income, like the responsibilities of budgeting, emergency funds, savings and how we can be our worst own enemy. We must find our motivation and stay focused by putting one foot in front of the other. We must learn to crawl before we walk, to be patient and persevere. Also, to take constructive criticism in love and how important community is and fellowship in that iron sharpens iron.

 “Mike A. Jr.”. (aka “None”)

Wednesday                                                                                                February 12, 2025

   Today went like this: “turn him up” the class yelled. When we turn a person up, they must dance down the aisle to the front of the class before speaking, which is fun because it puts us in a friendly mood and gets us out of our comfort zone. Today we had our first review test on chapters 1 & 2 of, “Living in The Village”, which we will be taking a test on tomorrow. It is very challenging, but we love the challenge. We also started “Betterman,” which is about a man who is a motivational speaker and speaks honestly about losing control of your life and how to regain the power to change and remain positive and it is very encouraging. It’s interesting because it deals with our spirit and our Heavenly Father and how to find balance in life. Everyday we have a quote and a word of the day written on the board. Today’s word of the day in bold black writing read “consistent”. That was a good choice because we must be consistent on our release with doing positive things in the community. The quote of the day read, “You know my name, not my story, you’ve heard what I’ve done not seen what I’ve been through.” This quote touched many of us in a positive way because we all know the feeling of being judged. We ended the day by singing happy birthday to one of our fellow brothers, which is fun because the whole class stands up and sings happy birthday together. We cannot wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us.

“Luis Arredando”. (aka “None”)

Thursday                                                                                                    February 13, 2025

Today was a super blessed day. We are all grateful to be part of this program with each other. It is like we are a great big family full of love and kindness towards each other. We prayed in first thing in the morning together by locking arms while one of us leads us in prayer. After that we talked about doing our “elevator” business pitches, which is a 45 second to a minute-long pitch about our businesses. We want to be creative and captivate the audience. We also had a guest come to visit and speak with us about the re-entry process. He was fun, positive, and informative about the entire process of continuing to learn and stay involved with PEP after our release. It was very encouraging to all of us to see and hear from someone who has been through the program and is doing great on the outside and successful. In the second half of class we took a test out of our “Living in The Village” textbooks teachbout things like; money management, doing your taxes, fixing your credit and so much more. It was a great day,learned a lot not only about business, but about each other and being a part of something positive.

 “Christopher A.” (aka “None”)

Friday                                                                                                          February 14, 2025

    After we prayed in this morning we had Toast Masters. We are still working on our ice breaker speech, that is when we share a little about ourselves to get a better understanding of our classmates. This is just our second meeting, and we already feel as though we are improving greatly and getting to know each other. There are a lot of formalities to remember, but it is fun and we feel like we are doing a wonderful job at the same time, especially since this is all very new to us. After we concluded “Toastmasters” we ended the first half, and we went to lunch. When we met back up after lunch, Martin,rtin, one of our in-prison management team members, shared a video of his shoe store in Houston. We found it very inspirational. Then, we all took part in an activity in class and were asked to move all our chairs in a circle going around the room. Then, several individuals were chosen to go to the center of the room where they were put on the spot to do the “chicken dance.” Then, several more people were picked to join in. Then, before you know it the whole class was doing the “chicken dance”! Then, we lined up in lines of twenty and we did the electric slide, and a few people were chosen to do a dance off. Until finally we were left with a champion, and we all had a lot of fun. Then, we prayed out and we were finished for the day.

  “Michael B. (aka “Fun name”)

Expressions

  “There is nothing stronger than a broken man who has re-built himself.”

-Unknown-

No matter how hard life hits you it is about how you get back up and keep pushing forward and never giving up. Keep focus on what is important to you and where you want to be in life. How do you want to live your life without purpose, without passion, or do you want to leave a legacy? Do not just live a life of mediocrity but live a life full of greatness and full of joy with no regrets. Renew your thinking daily and build a strong identity in yourself and in Christ to be who you want to be, someone you can be proud, and your family will be proud of. Do the most because life is short, and you would not want to look back on your life and think that you wasted any of it.

                                           “Noe R.” (aka “Pound Cake”)

Monday                                                                                                       February 3, 2025

            Today was our first day of class and we started by praying in. Then, we learned about the importance of perseverance and finishing what we start. PEP is helping us all to realize our potential and be better men for our families and communities. We also got our “heart check” today, which is a very meticulous writing assignment that takes days of continuous determination. This is just the first of many challenges that will be set before us here. We also took some time to watch inspirational videos. Then we spoke about the positive aspects of the program, for example, character development and problem solving. We are excited about all the opportunities that are going to be open to us and all the tools and useful experience we will gain. At the end of class, we had our pictures taken for our “coat of arms”, which is something like our own personal vision board that we will be hanging on the wall to remind us of our hopes and dreams and what is important to us in life; the things we are striving for. We are all very thankful for this opportunity!

 “Luis A. (aka “none”)

Tuesday                                                                                                      February 4, 2025

     In finding our way into this amazing program, we have been faced with a daunting task that should be the most welcoming, melting away the rough and serious exterior surfaces and lightening up the idea that we are no longer imprisoned by the prison mentality. Instead, we are becoming more focused on a purposeful future. We started this journey today by “breaking the ice” and dropping the “tough guy” to dive into our “fun guy” by giving each other fun names, which are nicknames we give each other to break away from our rough exterior. We will no longer refer to ourselves in an intimidating way, but as the man we are and the man we are to become. We learned today that this is one of many small tasks we must complete to mature into the men we are meant to be. Also understanding the great need to simplify our goals and be able to present them to be seen by others. We will be doing this by breaking down our ideas into four simplified boxes that’s entire purpose is to show the structure that holds our business ideas and “elevator pitches” together. Elevator pitches consist of a 45 second to 60 second business pitch. Labeled as opportunity, solution, customer, and differentiator; the “Four Box” is an assignment we received that will assist us in our business idea pitches. We are excited to be able to perform in excellence once the “Bid Idea Pitch Event” comes around!

 “Jackson A. (aka “none”)

Wednesday                                                                                               February 5, 2025

Character assessment day

Thursday                                                                                                    February 6, 2025

     Today’s class was awesome! Music, dancing, and meeting our new brothers that are going through the program. It was cool! We started off the morning at 8 a.m. by praying in, which is when we all link arms and bow our heads while one classmate leads us in a prayer. Then, we started in our L.I.T.V. (Living in the Village), workbooks about money management and finances, this lesson was about fixing your credit. Also, we received our acceptance letters from the PEP transitional house. It feels great to be a part of something and have people who care about you and want to see you be successful in life. Our class is learning not only about adding value to ourselves, but about adding value to those around us like our families and our community. There is also something we call the “Ten Driving Values” that we are learning about: Love, Integrity, Fresh-Start Outlook, Excellence, Innovation, Accountability, Execution, Servant-Leader Mentality, Fun and Wise Stewardship. We do our best to live by these values and practice them in our daily lives. Finally, we took our pictures with Donald J. and Martin H., the in-prison management, for our “coat of arms” and then we ended the day with a pray-out. It was a wonderful day. Thank you PEP!

 Richard A. (aka “none”)

Friday                                                                                                          February 7, 2025

     We started off this morning by praying in, so we will be thankful to God for blessing us by giving us the opportunity to be here in this program. We started “Toastmasters”, which helps us with public speaking. This first lesson was called the “Ice Breaker” and it set the tone for us to be able to openly express ideas in front of a large group of people. The Ice breaker really helped us by introducing ourselves and getting to know each other better. We all delivered our “Icebreakers,” which is an introductory presentation about any appropriate subject and could include our personal stories. It has been said that going to prison, public speaking, and dancing are the three most common fears and in PEP, therefore we have been given the opportunity to eliminate those fears. We learned about the prior experiences of the speakers. We learned how our fellow participants grew up and where. Today we began our journey of becoming brothers as we learn more about each other. We are now united by the common goal of becoming better men, fathers, sons. There are aspects of “Toastmasters” that seem strange at first, but if we can effectively deliver a speech to each other than we can become more comfortable addressing a larger group of people. PEP will help us to get out of our comfort zone and learn to work under pressure. Today was very educational and influential and we are all thankful for this opportunity.

                                        Adrian A. (aka “none”)

Expressions

  “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means.”

                                                                                                                -Albert Einstein

Before a person can influence anyone, whether positive or negative, one must first become it. We can say a million words and they can be as flowery and illustrious as possible, but if one does not live what he speaks then those words are like vapors that the wind takes away. That is the reason that you see kids that want to grow up to be just like daddy in which words are of no relevance only the actions that the father decides to project. Wordless communication via the example we set forth becomes the staple in people’s choice to either follow or take another route.

Ramon V. (aka “Lord Farquad”)