Rebecca photographed Lupe, a welder enrolled in the Chicago Women in Trades program, a grantee of the Chicago Foundation for Women. This is her story:

Lupe first began considering a career in welding while pregnant with her youngest child. She had recently left an abusive relationship, moving her three children into a domestic violence shelter, and struggled to find work while pregnant. She enrolled in Chicago Foundation for Women grantee Chicago Women in Trades’ twelve-week welding program in January 2018, shortly after the birth of her son.

A working single mother of four, Lupe worked nights in retail while enrolled in the program, sometimes sleeping just two hours a night. Support from family members and the staff at Chicago Women in Trades kept her going and ensured she stayed on track to reach her goal. Lupe graduated and began working as a welder full-time in May 2018.