"Will I be able to go to PREP?  These were the words spoken from the mouth of an innocent child, my 10-year-old son, after learning about Dr. B's current situation. My whole family is frankly distraught at the horrible idea of having such a wonderfully intelligent and respectable man treated in such a disrespectful and dishonorable manner.

Dr. B has been the one person in my community that has truly touched, impacted and inspired my life. I was merely 14 when I first met this "Angel on Earth".   It was the summer of 1983. I had just finished my ninth grade year with horrible grades and my family was experiencing a grave situation when my math club mentor suggested that I attend the PREP. I agreed and from then on my life
was changed. It was in PREP where my self- esteem rose. It was in PREP where I felt that I belonged. I met other teen-angers that thought like me, reasoned like me and cared about learning.  PREP truly opened my eyes to the outside world and taught me that
through hard work one could most definitely succeed, no matter the situation.

I can honestly tell you that the instructors and the environment were true reflections of an outstanding, caring and intellectual leader: Dr. Manuel Berriozabal. I can honestly tell you that PREP had every bit and part of His heart, of His work, of His soul. You felt the energy everywhere.   I left that summer changed and determined to succeed. I graduated from high school in May of 1986 and attended Texas A&M in College Station that August. I graduated with a degree in Business Administration in Marketing. I obtained my MBA from the University of Incarnate Word in 1997. I worked in the business industry for approximately 10 years and later decided, through a change of heart to directly touch the lives of our children and become an educator as Dr. B had modeled so eloquently years before for me.  I can only say that it was in PREP where my life was touched and changed forever. For I not only sought to obtain my personal growth but that of others close to me. I also, obtained a special gift from PREP, I met the love of my
life, my husband. He too is a former PREP participant.

I just want for people to see how this man has impacted me and my family. I just want people to learn about this one man, this one soul that has made such a difference in not only my life but also in the lives of so many. Dr. B deserves only the best and utmost
respect. Dr. B should be reinstated as the one and only director and founder of the PREP program.

What will I answer my child tomorrow? Will there be a PREP program for him?   Will he be able to attend PREP? My son is the future of our society.  How many more future leaders will ask the same question and be impacted in the same manner?