Chicago, IL—I was born and raised here, growing up in challenging circumstances with a dysfunctional, single mother who often left me to fend for myself. Whether she abandoned me with friends or sent me off to a boys' home for three years, I was forced to navigate a childhood of extreme poverty and neglect. By age 14, I had no choice but to get a full-time job and find my own apartment, or face being placed into foster care. Survival meant lying about my age, which I did to secure a job at Jake’s Pup in the Ruff in the Uptown neighborhood. By day, I attended Senn High School, and by night, I ran the hotdog stand alone. I found a small apartment and convinced the landlord I was 18. From there, things gradually improved, and I was thrust into adulthood much earlier than most. The reason I share this background is to highlight my understanding of the realities of poverty, hunger, and parental neglect—issues that plague Chicago’s ghettos. However, despite those hardships, I didn’t gr...