Monday, August 27, 2018
Today we had a class on public speaking called Toastmasters. Each of us has an assigned role in this Toastmasters group, including being a Toastmasters audience member. The great part about Toastmasters is that we govern ourselves as a group.
Everyone did a good job in their duties this week, whether it was being one of the speakers or a member of the judging panel. This class is meant to help us speak as if we were speaking to a group of businessmen. That involves losing our slang, maintaining proper eye contact and raising our confidence levels. We are all striving to be better men in search of success. Public speaking will be one of the many successes we achieve in PEP.
Jacinto T. (a.k.a. “Migualito”)
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Today we had our History class. Normally, we go over the material and test the following week. Now we only have to watch the history videos and are not required to test on them.
We watched a video about the American Revolutionary War. We saw the course of actions that sparked the war and the after-effects too. We ended the video talking about the making of the Declaration of Independence.
We will follow up with another video next week. We are looking forward to that class. We are going over our country’s history, and it’s interesting to see how some of the values and morals this country was founded on still hold up today.
Deonte G. (a.k.a. “Sum Jim”)
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Today, Fearless Fall ’18 all gathered in the PEP room to take their test on Chapter Six. Bert S. (a.k.a. “Chocolate Truffles) was not in attendance today. However, we had our very own PEP Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Tim. H (a.k.a. “Tender”). He was here to explain the procedure in calculating our businesses’ “pro forma” cash flow statements. He gave us feedback on questions we had struggled to solve. Toward the end of class, we were eager to see our tests scores, after which it was time for “issues and tissues,” our chance to contest our scores. It turned out to be a great day for most of the class.
Fearless Fall ’18 has really come together and embraced one another. PEP has challenged each and every one of us to understand that each decision we make has impacted not only ourselves, but our family as well. The tools presented to us through PEP will help us in our journey. We are all very fortunate to be a part of this program.
Jorge T. (a.k.a. “Sweet Tea”)
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Today in class, we had to take a test on Chapters Four and Five from Living in the Village. The book details financial literacy and is very informative. We feel pretty confident about our tests scores, because we’re Fearless Fall ’18.
After we completed our tests, we went over Chapters Six and Seven from Living in the Village, which were about credit and Fair Isaac Credit Organization (FICO) scores. We really enjoyed today’s class, because most of us didn’t know how credit worked. Apparently, we can dispute old claims to clean up our credit report, which is valuable to know. After today, we are sure to maintain good credit scores. Thank you, PEP!
Alvaro L. (a.k.a. “Peanut Butter”)
Friday, August 31, 2018
Due to changes in our normal schedule, Fearless Fall ’18 was exempt from PEP classes today. In spite of this, we gathered as a group in the dorm and started working on organizing our financial numbers for our business plan pitches. Also, we studied financing and accounting for our upcoming test over Chapter 7 in Bert. S.’s (a.k.a. “Chocolate Truffles”) class.
Fearless Fall ’18 is very excited to be a part of this program and for the recognition over all of our accomplishments and hard work. PEP has taught us a valuable life lesson: with hard work, dedication and perseverance, you can do anything you put your mind to. Someone once said, “Keep your head high and swing hard.” That’s exactly what we have done here together. It’s been an honor to be a part of PEP so we can achieve a better way of life.
Steven M. (a.k.a. “Derrick Zoolander”)
Expressions
“Fight em, ‘til Hell freezes over, then fight em on the ice!!!”
~Dutch Meyer
In Webster’s Dictionary, the fifth entry under the word fight defines the word as “ability, will, or inclination to combat, strive, or resist.” Being confounded by the worries of our life can be very debilitating. Problems that we may experience due to worrying include fear, disease and mental cruelty to yourself and others. Scientific research shows that 93% of things we worry over never come to fruition. Problems in life will arise, naysayers will abound, and the odds of overcoming will seem insurmountable. At this point, it is wise to do as Dutch Meyer once told his football team: Fight – Fight – Fight! Every day, we should be ready to don armor so that we may combat against the worries, resist the naysayers, and strive to overcome the odds.
Brian W. (a.k.a. “Banana Split”)