America is best described by one word: _____________________________________________

2. America is best described by one word: _____________________________________________ Dwight D. Eisenhower Freedom

3. FREEDOM MEANS: We can make our own CHOICESabout careers, education, relationships, how we live and where we live. Learning what to CHOOSE, and how to CHOOSE may be the most important education you will ever receive. We can also CHOOSE if we want to be a Winner!!!

4. Believe in Your Dreams The Socioeconomic Pyramid Education attainment for Stephens County 59.4% High School Diploma or less 22.7% Some College/Technical 13.8% Bachelor’s Degree 4.2% Graduate or Professional Degree Top 5% Over $100,000 Upper Middle Class $30,000 - $100,000 Lower Middle Class Oklahoma’s average income: $29,200 Source: Okla. Dept. of Commerce Low Income Poverty level for a family of four: $18,200 Source: Census Bureau People who need to be helped by the rest of us, Elderly – Disabled - TANF What section of the pyramid do you want to live in? You have the freedom to CHOOSE your lifestyle. The desire to succeed and education (either formal or self-directed learning) will get you to the top. It’s up to you to make the CHOICES that determine your future.

5. Girls: Your CHOICES will determine where you live on the pyramid of life. FACT: Only one-third of teen mothers receive a high school diploma, and only 1.5% have a college degree by the time they reach 30.

6. Boys: Your CHOICES will determine where you live on the pyramid of life. FACT: DHS Child Support Enforcement will garnish up to 60% of your wages for the next 18 years for child support if you are proven by DNA testing to be the father.

7. Choose to Step Up to Your Best (2003 Median Annual earnings of full-time wage and salary workers.) Professional Degree $95,700 a year $46.37 an hour Doctorate Degree $79,400 a year $38.47 an hour Master’s Degree $59,500 a year $28.83 an hour Bachelor’s Degree $49,900 a year $24.18 an hour Associate’s Degree or A trade from Career Tech $37,600 a year $18.21 an hour High School Diploma $30,800 a year $14.92 an hour High School Dropout $21,600 a year $10.46 an hour

8. A College Degree is Worth the Investment!

9. Believe in Your Dream – Get a Job • Employer’s say they want these qualities in an employee: • Someone who wants to work here. • Someone who will be here and be on time. • Someone who can solve problems and make decisions. • Someone with a good attitude and is honest. • Research shows that the top three reasons people get fired are: • Dishonest • Unreliable, too many days absent or late. • Would not follow orders, did not get along with supervisions. These are all Character related issues.

10. CHARACTER COUNTS The Six Pillars of Character Josephson Institute of Ethics www.charactercounts.org Trustworthiness Caring Citizenship Responsibility Respect Fairness T R R F C C – Be Terrific by Having Character!!

11. Good Character Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece – by Thought, Choice, Courage and Determination. by John Luther

12. Choices determine where you go, what you get and who you become.

13. A B C Manage Your Choices and You Will Manage Your Life Where You Are Dream Choices Consequences It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Choices I can make to get to my Dream Shelly now age 36 Tina now age 36 College Good Grades Good Friends College Bad Grades Bad Friends Flunked out of College Passed Courses Meth Addiction Pregnant Prison for Drugs Tobacco Alcohol Drugs Graduation Good Job Worked while in College Masters Degree 6 figure salary Condo on Beach New Lexus Starting own Business Odd jobs On welfare Dilapidated trailer Bad Health Refusing treatment

14. Positive Choices You become the best you can be! Negative Choices You will never know your best.

15. Tobacco is often the first drug used by kids who use alcohol and illegal drugs like marijuana and meth. What drug starts the negative choice path? Most people start using tobacco before they finish high school. This means that if you stay smoke-free in school, you will probably never smoke. Most teens who smoke are addicted to nicotine. They want to quit smoking, but they can’t. Don’t get trapped. Nicotine in cigarettes, cigars, and spit tobacco is addictive. Kids who start smoking are more likely to get lower grades in school. Yuck! Tobacco smoke can make hair and clothes stink. Tobacco stains teeth and causes bad breath.

16. How tobacco affects your body: Smoking can wreck lungs and reduce oxygen available for muscles used during sports. Smokers run slower and can’t run as far, affecting overall athletic performance. Nicotine use narrows your blood vessels and puts added strain on your heart. Smoking doesn’t look cool, it doesn’t smell cool, and coughing doesn’t sound cool.

17. 5 Knows Know yourself. Think about who you are, who you want to become and what you believe in. When faced with a difficult choice, ask yourself, “Does this fit with who I want to be?” Know the facts. Some decisions can be based on simple facts. For example smoking is addictive and expensive, and causes serious diseases. Know the situation. Before going along with friends, know what you’re getting yourself into. Where are they going? What will they do? Who will be there? When and how will you get home? Know when to ask questions. If you don’t know the facts and the situation, ask questions. Make sure you get answers. Know how to get help. Everyone needs help at times. Think about which responsible adults in your life you can turn to for guidance and support when you need it. Remember, asking for help is usually a sign of strength, not weakness. 5 Nos Plain and simple. “No thanks.” Like Sarah discovered, sometimes the most direct way is the simplest and most effective. Forceful. Some kids have enough self-confidence to say no in a way that their friends will never ask again. “Are you crazy? Those things can kill you.” The strict parent. You can always use parents as a way to say “no.” “My mom would smell the smoke and I’d get in trouble.” The switch. Come up with a better plan. “I’m gonna go swim some laps at the Y. Want to go with me? You can’t smoke if you’re gonna do that.” The friend. Remember, a real friend won’t ditch you if you don’t go along with the crowd. Use this logic with the friend: “If you were really my friend, you wouldn’t ask me to do something that could make me sick.” Step-Up & Say No “I was at a party and somebody offered me a cigarette,” says Sarah, 14. “I said ‘no thanks,’ and it was cool. I thought it would be a big deal, but it was so easy.”

18. What is the number one drug problem for today’s youth? Alcohol • Alcohol kills more young people than cocaine, heroin and every other illegal drug combined. • If you drink enough alcohol, fast enough, you can get an amount in your body that will kill you in only a few hours. • Alcohol does not give you energy – it is a depressant, it slows down your ability to think, speak, move and all the other stuff you like to do.

19. What age do you think youth first start using alcohol? Research can tell us amazing things. This chart shows that the younger a person begins to drink, the more likely they will be to become an alcoholic and have lifetime alcohol problems. Research has determined that if a person takes their first drink at 13 there is an almost 50% chance that they'll have a lifetime alcohol dependence problem. Source:  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

20. Alcohol is really unhealthy for our bodies. The parts of the body that could be damaged by alcohol are: Drinking too much alcohol is the most common way for people to get liver diseases. Drinking alcohol over a long period of time could cause stomach ulcers or stomach cancer. Drinking alcohol could cause your blood pressure to rise, increase your heart rate, and cause an irregular heartbeat so that you won’t be able to play sports or exercise as well as you normally could. Drinking alcohol leads to a loss of coordination and poor judgment so that you can’t ride a bike, inline skate, play sports, or even walk in a straight line.

21. Social Platform: Preventing drunk driving and underage drinking. Why? She wants to save your life. When she was 15, she lost a close friend in an alcohol related car crash. Because it was alcohol related it was 100% preventable – her friend did not have to die. “So my mission is to provide more education for our youth on the dangers that alcohol has on their minds and their bodies.” Miss America 2006 from Tulsa, Oklahoma Oklahoma CareerTech Champion – Leader in high school FCCLA and DECA organizations www.youngmoney.com

22. Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry At age 40 he is the youngest governor currently serving in the United States, He believes that a college education enhances quality of life and gives people a chance for better jobs and more financial security. His education agenda includes: Oklahoma’s Promise – began in 1992; since then more than 65,000 students have enrolled in the program. Oklahoma Careertech Champion - Leader in High School FFA

23. WHAT IS ? Take certain courses in high school, earn at least a C+ average Sign up for the program in 8th, 9th or 10th grade and your family’s income must be $50,000 or less at the time you sign up. Besides passing these courses and making good grades, you’ll also have to stay away from serious trouble, drugs and alcohol. If you keep these promises, you could earn free college tuition from a fund the Oklahoma State Legislature has set up to help pay for your college. Oklahoma’s Promise-OHLAP Mapping Your Future www.okpromise.orgwww.mapping-your-future.org Features then Careership

24. Approximate Annual Costs Cameron University • Tuition $2,352.00 • Mandatory Fees $1,080.00 • Books & supplies $ 826.00 • Room & board $3,282.00 = $7,540.00 a year Oklahoma’s Promise pays – 2,352.00 = $5,188.00 Pell Grant pays – 4,000.00 You pay $1,188.00 In 2005-2006 72% of Cameron’s student body was on some type of financial assistance.

25. Computer-Aided Drafting & Design Business and Information Technology Health Career Certification Automotive Collision Technology Auto Service Technology Carpentry Cosmetology Diesel Service Technology Electronics Technology Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Precision Machine Technology Welding Earn College Credit with These Red River Technology Center’s Courses

26. Red River Technology Center has Cooperative Agreements with the following degree-granting institutions: • Cameron University • Murray State at Tishomingo • OSU – Oklahoma City • OSU – Okmulgee • Western Oklahoma State College in Altus • American Council on Education (ACE) See Lisa Williams – RRTC Counselor (580) 255-3903 ext. 230 lgwilliams@redriver.tec.ok.us

27. Technology center graduates can use technical skills to earn higher wages, working to help pay college expenses. By earning college credit while in high school through cooperative agreements, students can shorten college stays. That can save both money and time. Career and Technology Education can prepare children for college and a great career while still in high school. More than one-third of Oklahoma’s career and technology education students go on to higher education. Many of these students enroll in a college major directly related to their CareerTech training. They report that their tech center experiences prepared them well for their college studies.

28. Have you ever looked for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? You have found it – it lies between your ears!! You have learned to THINK and make POSITIVE CHOICES!!

29. It’s YOUR Choices Courage Education Vocation Family Lifestyle Frugality

30. The Millionaire Mind Courage – Believe in Your Dreams Education – 90% are college graduates Vocation – 32% are entrepreneurs 19% attorneys or physicians 16% senior executives 33% retirees, CPA’s, sales professionals, engineers, architects

31. The Millionaire Mind Family – 92% are married Lifestyle – 97% are homeowners Frugality – Frugal shoppers – they live by 3 R’s Repair – cars, houses Restore – houses & furniture Reduce – expenses

32. Here’s how to Build Wealth not Debt Determine Short Term Goals Determine Long Term Goals • Pay yourself first. • Spend less than you make. • Know the difference between needs and wants. • Know the difference between good debt and bad debt.

33. Pay Yourself 1st 10% of Income Spend Now Save Long Term Goals Short Term Goals Bank Bag

34. Spend Less than you Make What determines your WEALTH is not how much you make but how much you keep of what you make!! Before you spend money ask yourself three questions: • Is it a need, want or a luxury? • How much of my life is this worth? • (How many hours do I have to work to pay for it?) • If I spend this money which of my goals is it advancing? In other words where is it getting me? • (Am I only receiving instant gratification or am I making progress toward building wealth?)

35. Know the difference between GOOD debt and BAD debt The only thing you borrow money for are things that appreciate in value. • Education • Real Estate • Your Business

36. Bad Debt Credit Card Debt Automobiles Furniture

37. Average group of 100 people at age 65 1 will be rich 4 financially successful 6 will work part time 59 will work full time 30 will be dead

38. Keys to Being a Winnerin the Game of Life! • Character Counts • Make Your Choices by Your Values • Know Who You Are and What You Want Step up and be The Best You Can Be!!