Season 3: FIRSTHAND: Living in Poverty
In Chicago, your birthplace often determines your destiny. A child born in one West Side census tract between 1978 and 1983 grew up to have a median annual household income of $16,000, according to Opportunity Insights. Does the American Dream exist in Chicago? In WTTW Chicago’s FIRSTHAND: Living in Poverty, meet five people who are experiencing intergenerational poverty.

As her relationship with her mom blossoms, Melissa considers going back to school.