My name is ISSAC SAENZ and i was born in Yakima,WA. Iam native American and half Mexican, but grew up on the reservation all my life and lived back and forth from Yakama reservation to rockyboy reservation in north central Montana all throughout my childhood until i finally stayed in rockyboy, Montana during highschool. I started using and selling drugs at a young age and never really had a positive father figure. Most of my family were either using or selling drugs or in prison. My older sister raised me and my younger brother from 10 years old to 15 years old and until my mom got her life straight. Rockyboy reservation is very small and in north central Montana with very little to do and very little hope, especially when your not making good decisions. The reservations i lived are full of poverty, drugs, violence, alcohol, and trauma. I received a 138 month sentence for distribution and gun and on my fourth year, out of nowhere like a light switch, i realized that i did not want to go back to that lifestyle and i definitely know now that my past does not define me. I love to read, so i started to pick up books that i could learn from because at the time i was very ignorant. I also signed up for college classes and any other class that could help me. It wasn’t until i got the email to prisonprofessors that changed my life. At the beginning of this year i started to take some of the advice Michael Santos offers. I been writing book reports since January of 2025 and taking notes on the books i feel have very valuable information. I’m just now making my profile and I’m finally doing all the advice including journaling everyday. I also wrote down 5 to 10 year goals, 3 to 5 year goals, 1 to 2 year goals, and I’m doing weekly goals and progress.I believe that i will be successful for my family and that all this preparation will pay off. I’m currently working on my release plan. I’m gong on seven years incarcerated and I’ve dedicated myself to using my time to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally. I have a very robust schedule that consists of working out 6 days a week, reading material that’s beneficial to my growth and waking up every morning and saying to myself everything that I’m grateful for while brushing my teeth before i repeat positive affirmations before and after i meditate for 10 to 15 minutes before breakfast. I’m not 100 percent on what field i want to get into when i get out but i got some ideas and that’s part of my 1 to 2 year goal. I have been investing in my financial IQ in here and i definitely want to be a business owner and investor. Right now I’m focused on preparing myself mentally and reading everything i can on business, finance, psychology, and whatever else i feel will prepare me for success. I also have a lot of certificates from completed classes including one VT construction course that will follow me to the streets and give me 500 hours. I’ve done any and every class i could here in prison even though i do not receive FTC’s for the first step act. I’ve learned that luck has a whole lot to do with success and that the formula for luck is Preparation + Attitude + Opportunity + Action = Luck. I’ve always considered myself lucky and i believe my mindset with this formula will attract success. I’ve learned from all this reading that it takes hard work and dedication to get what you want on top of luck. I’m now taking action and i know i need all the help i can get to be where i want to be. I hope by following Michael Santos advice and reaching out to the world, i can show that I’m ready for change and that i can connect with people that will help me and mentor me.
