1.  Read the Boston Globe newspaper article I distributed in class today entitled “Graduating soon?  You Should be looking for that first job now” by reporter Isvari Mohan.   Please tell me if there is any information in this article that you agree with and will use to help you be the successful person you aspire to.  If there is nothing in this article you will consider doing to help you be more successful, simply write “there is nothing in this article that will help me be the successful person I aspire to be“.  Your answer should use good grammar, short sentences, perfect spelling and punctuation.  Please send your answer to my email address no later than 11:59pm, Tuesday, October 11.

2.  Please tell me if there is anything Randy Martinez said during Friday’s class that resonated with you, that you could identify with and possibly use to your advantage.  Please make sure your answer is well written using good grammar, short sentences, perfect spelling and punctuation. Please send your answer to my email address no later than 11:59pm, Tuesday, October 11.

3. Business Cards –  Ms Nuri has a proof of your business card.  Please review the information on your card no later than the end of the school day on Tuesday, October 11.  If the information is correct on your business card,  write your initials on the card.   If there is incorrect information on the card, circle the incorrect information and send me an email with the correct information.

1.   One of the indicators of how successful a person will be in their life is how they deal with adversity, failure and/or misfortune.  Most people experience some level of hardship or adversity sometime in their life.  How a person deals with their misfortune, whether they withdraw and chose to not try as vigorously as they once did or whether they use their misfortune as a catalyst to persevere and work harder, is a telltale sign of who will have the grit and personal strength to be a successful person in life.  Please watch the following story of one girl’s personal misfortune and how she reacted to it.   After watching the video, please share with me any life lessons you could learn from Kayla’s story and apply to your own life and your pursuit of lifetime success.

2.  Please read the Wall Street Journal article I distributed in class entitled “Employers Find ‘Soft Skills’ Like Critical Thinking in Short Supply” from the August 30th, 2016 edition of the Wall Street Journal.  Please share with me, in a well written statement, the skills and behaviors reporter Katie Davidson claims great companies are looking for in the people they hire today.   Further state in this well written statement whether you have these ‘Soft Skills‘, or what we call in our class “Hope Life Skills’, that companies aligned with this Life Skills class will be looking for in their interns.    Thank you.

Travis Barbour, Valentina Gomez-Rincon and Juan Corona returned to the Hope Life Skills class today to share their Life Skills class experiences.

Juan Corona (far left) and Travis Barbour (red sweatshirt near Juan) sharing their experiences in the Hope Life Skills class.

This year’s class asked Valentina, Travis and Juan about their experiences during last year Life Skills program.  “How did you feel when you were chosen for the CVS internship?”…..”Were you nervous attending the National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. last summer?”…”What was the most valuable lesson you took from your experience in the Life Skills program last year?”  “Who was the most interesting person you met last year and why was this person so interesting?“…… And

their answers were as intriguing…

“the man who was shot as boy living in New York and then went on to live a successful life……. Neil Amper’s incredible story of being born into a very wealthy family and then, after he was married with a family, he lost all his wealth and had to start over again……….one of the people in IT I met during my summer internship at CVS; he was so helpful to me……the girl I met at the National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington.  I stayed in touch with her and when I visited the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) later in the summer, I met her on campus. Her parents worked at UCLA and I connected with her when I was there!……I felt good about myself when I was chosen for the internship; I was proud……I was nervous when I interviewed for the internship;  but, I did

Valentina Gomez-Rincon shares her story about the Life Skills class, from her summer internship at CVS to her attendance at the National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C.

it and it worked out well….I didn’t like it when I first started the Life Skills class as a sophomore.  But I’m glad I stayed and went back for my junior year!” ……….

students watching a promotional video about the Life Skills class that Mr Cronin is using to introduce companies to Hope Life Skills and encouraging them to get involved.

1.  Read pages 1 through 31 in the textbook posted on this web site entitled “Questions:  The Importance and Value of Questions“.

2.  Please share something you read in this text that made you think;  it may be something you found interesting or thought provoking.    Were there any words you read in the “Questions” book, any saying or idea, that made you pause and think for a moment or even impress you?  Your statement should be written in complete sentences with good grammar and perfect spelling.  Please send your ‘thought’ to my email address no later than Tuesday, 11:59pm.

3.  I have two seniors at Hope who were part of the Life Skills class last year and were awarded paid internships, went on our field trips because of their great work in our class who will visit this Friday’s class.   Please tell me one question you would like to ask them?  Any question will be deemed to have merit.  You will hear them speak about how they pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to experience success in the Life Skills program.   Please send your question to my email address no later than Tuesday, 11:59pm.

1.  Reminder –  if there is any Life Skills class you cannot arrive ‘on time’ or you are forced to be absent, please send me a text or email BEFORE CLASS to inform me of your absence or tardiness. This action, expected in any future internship or job, will help build a responsible, respectful, opportunity-creating brand.   When you don’t alert your employer of your tardiness or absence from your job, internship or meeting, your brand is damaged and will limit opportunities for future promotions, new jobs and internships, even college admission.  Remember: “On time, all the time”.  Opportunities for Life Skills internships, college and job recommendations, selection to Life Skills field trips and this summer’s National Youth Leadership Forum (nylf.org) in Washington, D.C. are often determined by your brand perception.
   
2. Read the story of Joe Rantz, starting on page 93 in our Life Skills textbook posted on this web site in the “The Development of the American Brand in the 20th Century”.  Then, imagine, if you had the opportunity to have dinner with Joe Rantz, share with me one question you would ask him. Your question should be expressed in a complete sentence with perfect spelling and punctuation and good grammar.     Send your question to my email address, no later than Tuesday, September 20, 11:59pm.  Thank you.
3.  Brand Inventory:  Please tell me how you believe others perceive your brand TODAY.   Next, please tell me if there is a difference between how others perceive your brand TODAY and how you would like people to perceive your brand.   Your sentences should have correct spelling and good grammar.   Please send your answer to my email address no later than Tuesday, September 20, 11:59pm.  Thank you.
4. hopelifeskills.com:    Please check out my blog about Friday’s class with Kalimah Priforce and Ryan Mitchner posted on this web site.   Please write a comment in the space provided at the end of the blog expressing your impressions of the class.   Please feel comfortable being honest with your comments.  If you enjoyed the class and believed there was value in the experience, please add why you felt this way.  And, if you have suggestions to improve the class experience, please state your suggestions and how your suggestions could enhance the class activity.  I will review your comments before posting to ensure your comments enhance your brand even if you offer constructive criticism.
5. Business Card Info:   please send me your personal information you wish to appear on your business card no later than Monday, September 19, 11:59pm.   Please send your information to my email address.  It’s in the best interest of your brand that you ensure correct spelling of all words on your business card.  And, make sure your email address will encourage employers to  hire you and colleges to offer you admission and possibly a scholarship.   Once you give someone your business card and you become part of their network, you will be ‘googled‘; i.e. they will start researching your name on the internet.  Make sure your Facebook site enhances a brand that opens doors of opportunities not closes them.
6. I was and continue to be proud of you.  Those who went to BIF represented our class, Hope High, your families and yourself extremely well.  Same for Friday’s class; Kalimah and Ryan were also very impressed with you.   Our goal is to make sure your brand is perceived as you wish.  How you greet someone with your handshake and eye contact and smile and a ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, how you sit in class, the words in your email address and what is on your FACEBOOK page affects how people perceive your brand.  Please make sure all of these things build your brand to be perceived as you hope it to be.
7. Next class:  Ali Decesare, designer, student athlete, now senior at East Greenwich High School.  Ali is in the midst of her college search to find the best college community for her to maximize her brand and her many talents.  I believe our Life Skills juniors will find valuable lessons in Ali’s experiences as many of you start your college searches.

8. 

   This picture tells a powerful story of strong, strategic Brand Development by Ralph Waite.  Notice the great eye contact between Ralph and Kalimah during their conversation during the networking session at the end of class. It’s obvious Kalimah is impressed with Ralph and respects his brand.  Kalimah’s positive impression of Ralph’s brand started before their conversation in the networking session.  Leading up to this conversation between Ralph and Kalimah, remember how active Ralph was during today’s class, asking Kalimah questions and sitting with perfect posture in the front row.  Ralph’s conversation, posture and deportment helped Kalimah form a positive impression of Ralph’s brand leading up to their networking.  Great brand development!  I look forward to seeing if Ralph’s email address and what is on his Facebook site reinforces the strong brand he’s exhibited in our Life Skills activities.

Today’s class happened because a Hope Life Skills student with a strong, positive brand had the courage to push out of their comfort zone to ask!

Hope Life Skills student, Ariel Hall, introduces herself during the Day 2 luncheon at BIF 12, the international storytelling conference at Providence’s Trinity Theatre, to one of BIF’s most popular speakers, Kalimah Priforce.  Not only did Ariel add Kalimah to her growing network of successful people but she also had the courage to ask him to come to today’s Hope Life Skills class in Room 112 at Hope High School, in Providence, Rhode Island.

Kalimah Priforce grew up in a New York City group home.  At eight years old, he held a successful hunger