Jaquan Barnett aka "Artis" Joins Some of the M.O.C.I.T.I. Brothers in a Mentoring Session w/Students at MLK Elementary on 4/29/11 in Los Angeles, CA!

I really had a great time with the M.O.C.I.T.I. brothers on Friday, April 29th, 2011 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA where we had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the students, briefly share some advices and words of wisdom about life, and most importantly speak to the "4th and 5th grade" students, encouraging them to "follow through" and make sure they execute on all of their commitments, tasks and future endeavors to the best of their abilities.

In all actuality, "follow through" stood as the central theme of discussion during our mentoring session, and we stressed the importance of completion, accountability and responsibility. We explained to the students that your words as well as your actions will be critiqued, and when you give your word and commit to something; whether it be school, or any extracurricular activities such as sports, clubs, music, etc., people are depending on you to execute and give your very best efforts. So, if a person follows through and executes on a consistent basis, he or she will not only build a great reputation and rapport with others, but will also build trust, dependability and reliability within others, which are positive and well respected qualities that one should possess in life.

Moreover, if one does not "follow through" and honor his or her commitment, there are consequences for his or her actions; malpractices and his or her reputation will not reflect in a positive way. Therefore, he or she will not build a great reputation and rapport with others, it will be much harder for someone to trust your word, and you can be labeled and perceived as an unreliable and irresponsible person. Depending on the circumstance, we also explained to the students that there are certain punishments and consequences that can be enforced for not following through, and for that reason, the positive effects of honoring your commitments and finishing what you start is always the best option for anyone!

Honestly, it was a rewarding experience for me, I am thankful to M.O.C.I.T.I. for providing me with the opportunity to aid and contribute to this movement and I would like to thank and applaud all of the M.O.C.I.T.I. brothers that came to help out in the past, as well as all of the brothers that were in attendance on Friday for their positivity and philanthropy in this process. I will gladly return in the future to assist in anyway possible and will do my best to make more of an imprint in the students lives. Thank you again! -J.B.