Devon had a rough childhood. Growing up on the north side of Chicago in a one bedroom apartment with his mom, his past is littered with hardship. His dad left before Devon took his first steps, could utter a word, or could even recognize him. His mom worked long hours at a minimum wage job to support her only son, and the poverty stricken neighborhood they lived in made growing up anything but easy for Devon. But she couldn’t support him for long, and he was sent to live in Milwaukee with his grandma. So he went- empty, alone, and angry.

His ritualistic visits to the principal’s office, .7 GPA, and constant fighting made life here no better than the one he left behind in Chicago. Eventually when he came home from school with blood smeared across his shirt his grandma had enough. She was strong. Seasoned to the rough life in the inner city, she wanted better for her grandson. The next day she walked him into school and sat him down in the wrestling coach’s office.

Since Devon has turned his life around. An honor student, community role-model, and an undefeated wrestler, life has never looked so bright for Devon. The adversity, hardships, and pain that litter his past are now the fuel he runs on. Tattoos and scars a constant reminder of where he once was.