Mr. Lenin has had a life-changing, inspiring story. He is a passionate, diligent worker who has made the most of his experience while incarcerated. At the start of his lifetime, Mr. Lenin did not consider himself capable of living a successful life due to his association with the streets which induced his street mentality and poor schoolwork achievements. In his early years, Mr. Lenin did not see school as a path to success, and he instead sought acceptance on the streets, as this gave him “... love and attention ... that felt like the world to him”(Mr. Lenin). Through mindfulness, Lenin came to accept his difficult past, not as negative, but as something he could transform in a positive way. He did not finish high school, but was grateful to later receive his GED toward the end of his prison experience. This was the start of his forward-looking journey.
Before being transferred from one prison to another, he did not see a glimmer of hope. Soon, he began to see prison as a way to utilize his time to grow and he would become one of those men who depart prison with life-changing stories. Mr. Lenin took part in many service programs that he prioritized such as Rising Hope and Cooperated, Osborne, Exodus, Narcotics anonymous class, and many more. Not only did this bring him light, but he” ... held myself responsible, for being there every week for other individuals and setting a good example," transforming his self-esteem and fulfilling his need to contribute to society! (Mr. Lenin). He wanted to encourage others to follow his path of becoming responsible and educated once they are out of prison. In addition, Mr. Lenin began to, “gravitate more towards the guys that...he could learn something from”(Mr.Lenin). As previously mentioned, taking the education path was a tough challenge for Lenin. However, the other inmates gravitating toward education too helped him achieve the education he was not capable to receive prior to prison life due to lack of Resources.
Throughout his time at the prison, he envisioned freedom that inspired him to “understand his strengths and weaknesses” which allowed him to observe his surroundings. Due to his release during the start of a pandemic, it was difficult to obtain a stable job. However, this did not stop Mr. Lenin. Instead, he stuck to the process with the Center for Employment Opportunities. Patience played a large part post-prison for Mr. Lenin. Every so often, Mr. Lenin was not able to get an interview for a job, which made him concerned. Before receiving a full-time job, he received part-time jobs which allowed him to adjust to the work environment and prepare him for a full-time job.
Following his twenty-five years in prison, it took some time to adjust. Nevertheless, he has shown growth and improvement to demonstrate efficient communication within a work environment. Mr.Lenin received a full-time job to clean buildings and he views his life now, while doing this work, as "beautiful with freedom”(Mr. Lenin). Nevertheless this time it was for his own good and stable pay. From observing and respecting those he has met on his mindfulness journey, he has grown
to become a trustworthy achiever in his daily life. Mr. Lenin “ ... learned what was important ... growing up in this country. There is a lot of freedom. This country is a country that supplies a lot of stuff that you don’t realize as you're growing up that you get a sense of entitlement”(Mr. Lenin). His ultimate goals are to be able to provide sufficiently for himself and to live on
his own in the following months. His acceptance of hard work will allow him to achieve these goals. His journey of feeling lost, achieving growth, and acquiring patience allowed him to be the man he is today.
From: Mr.Lenin
Well done Nikki! It’s fantastic. You have an extraordinary writing skill set. Thank you for your assistance and it was a pleasure working with you.
