- [Dominetrius] School is a big issue for me.

Like I need to be in school because if I don't got the education or that degree, it's over with.

I was going through a rough situation.

It was so stressful trying to get in contact with your advisor a lot.

And they wasn't replying back.

And I was just like, I ain't gonna never get back to school.

Nothing was working out for me, school, apartment.

I'm trying to find an apartment.

It was a hard process doing that too.

It was just so hard.

Like the cost was really high.

My minimum was to pay like $500 a month.

But in every range you look at it's $950 and up.

Now I got to work two jobs just to meet this certain amount of money a month.

So you really just like stuck, like you don't know what to do.

You don't know what the next move is.

I felt like wanting to give up, this is my breaking point, like I'm tired.

You know, I was just emotionally and physically and mentally like broken.

(soft music) - Sometimes college don't turn out the way you expect it to, - Yeah.

- You run into a lot of obstacles and a lot of problems where you can't afford it.

You can't pay for it.

You can't get to it.

You know, there's a lot of things happen when you're going to college, but it's worth the effort.

At least you can say you tried.

- [Dominetrius] My grandma is an amazing person.

She's very caring.

She always helping others.

She had cancer twice.

Watching her go through it and it's like, really breaking me.

- You go for it.

- My grandma, she just fighting.

She keep fighting.

She's a fighter.

- Everybody's struggled.

People don't think we're struggling, but we is, behind these walls, it's hard.

But we managed to get this far so we don't keep on going like we got it.

We got it.

(laughing) - [Dominetrius] I never got a chance to sit down and talk to her like that.

We was talking about her past, on how she was living, how she grew up.

How she struggled.

- Well, we was raised up, none of my sisters or brothers made it to college.

My kids never made it to college either.

But y'all came right along and picked it up.

That's what makes me proud of y'all, 'cause y'all never let that stop y'all.

I got my GED, but I didn't graduate out of high school because my momma got sick and we had to really stop and take care of her.

I don't want that for y'all.

I'm gonna be good.

Don't worry about me, don't stress.

Long as I see y'all doing good, I'ma be good, so.

- [Dominetrius] Talking to my grandma about her past put me in the mindset where I feel like I really got to do better.

I got to do better for her, too.

- We got burnt down in Mississippi when I was at the age, I think I was like eight or nine.

We lost everything.

We started from scratch.

I mean, I went through the struggle.

I watched peoples around me die.

Get killed, fights, houses burnt down.

We get up in the morning worried about where the next meal gonna come from.

How are we gonna pay our bills?

That's what I went through.

- [Dominetrius] It hurt that she had to go through that.

I really got to be the person that get her out.

'Cause if I don't, she'll never make it out the hood.

I want to change.

I want to change the cycle.

I want to be the one that actually makes stuff happen.

I'd be a role model to not only myself, but I'd be a role model to my younger siblings that's running up behind me.

So it's a huge responsibility, but you know, I always look out for my family.

- I'll see y'all!

- See y'all!

That's the air conditioning?

Y'all gotta move this, move this, move this.

Today is the day that I move to Indiana.

And I move in with Domitriana, which is my sister, and I move with my girlfriend, which is India.

And we very excited to move That was just hard.

My back hurt now.

Moving ain't easy.

Moving.

Y'all bring me the stuff, I'll put it in the truck.

- No, that's no good!

- I was looking for apartments in Chicago, the stuff was hard.

Rent was too much.

I ain't even find a job in Chicago.

So it was just hard.

Then a miracle happened and my brother happened to have an apartment in South Bend, Indiana that he wanted to just give away to us 'cause he knew we wanted to find our own space.

So he just offered to give us the house.

Go ahead, go ahead, I like that energy.

Let's go!

Don't drop my baby!

It was actually a happy moment for me and my sister, like, we 20, we got our own space.

I'll live with my girlfriend and it was just, that happy moment, like, I could cherish forever.

He's okay.

- Y'all better take care now and do what y'all got to do.

Get up on y'all feets.

- Bye!

- I'ma miss y'all so much.

I'll see y'all later!

I'll see y'all later!

I love y'all!

- Love y'all, y'all be safe.

- It's coming together, and I'm happy, I'm excited.

Put that seatbelt on, okay?

We getting out of Chicago now, so, it's a new start for us to go to Indiana and just see what opportunities is best for us down there.

When I got to India and our new apartment, all my uncles and cousins was standing like, helping us unload the truck, putting all our stuff in, they was happy.

They'd been begging us to come out there for a long time.

- Anything y'all need, y'all got it.

I'ma hype it up.

- Yeah!

- Y'all supposed to cry.

(laughing) - [Dominetrius] My uncle was saying like, he was proud of us because we made that first step.

- We gonna help y'all till y'all do what y'all need to do.

- [Dominetrius] Dang, I've been trying to find a place.

Now I got to place with my two favorite people.

The rent is $360 a month.

Compared to the rent in Chicago, $750 and up.

And I'm splitting rent between me, my girlfriend, and my sister.

In Indiana, it's a lot of job opportunities.

It's easy to get in a job.

No matter if it's Walmart, McDonald's, you getting in there quick.

- You got the key?

- They got the key.

(laughing) - I'm just gonna be working and stacking my money up, put everything in my savings.

One of my fears was to get stuck in Chicago.

Like not having no job, not being able to provide for myself, just being stuck there, like not doing nothing with my life.

I'm actually in my happy space right now.

I am emotionally free.

I'll start school in January.

I got my own crib.

I'm very independent now.

It just feel good to have your own.

I feel like we can really start our life and start over.

(soft music)