The World of Work Graduation Ceremony, the Class of 1985. Who's that dude wearing my three-piece suit? He looks like he thinks he's on top of the world, standing up there at that podium with the pretty lady beside him, giving his speech before 500-plus at the Hilton Hotel in the Big City of Atlanta, Georgia. A Big Shot! The World of Work program trained him and the other participants to be entrepreneurs, how to succeed in the business world, and how to perform during job interviews. Though he was a convicted felon, he landed his first job at one of the Top 100 Atlanta companies; within two-years, he received seven promotions, and increased his salary by fifty-percent. During that infamous speech at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Atlanta, he was the last of the graduates to give a presentation. He spoke a few moments to express gratitude for being allowed to take part in the World of Work program, then concluded by saying, "Nine out of ten released prisoners go back to prison." The audience stilled. His words captured their attention. He paused and then said, "I am the one who won't!" The audience erupted with cheers and a standing ovation. Pride engulfed his demeanor and spirit, as he returned to his seat on the stage for the closing of the graduation ceremony. He lied! Not knowingly at the time he made the statement, but he did because he became one of the nine instead of the one to not become a recidivist. Recidivism: a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; repeated relapse into criminal or delinquent habits. https://straightfromthepen.com/2019/05/02/no-sympathy/ For more on the man wearing my three-piece suit, read Essays & More Straight from the Pen by Wayne T. Dowdy [$9.95 USD for paperback. $0.99 eBook] https://www.amazon.com/Essays-More-Straight-Wayne-Dowdy/dp/1794396829/ref=pd_ybh_a_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Z1152CM1HZZ29T0R4MY0
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AuthorAtlanta, Georgia, a city of models & movies. I rode hard & crashed young. Welcome to my life: inspirational, drama, emotional struggles, all defining my character and visions of a new life. Archives
October 2022
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