In 2013, Aaron, a freshman at Corliss High School on the South Side of Chicago, was living on the streets.

Celeste Davis-Carr, Aaron’s teacher, learned that he was homeless through a recording he made while his English class was participating in StoryCorpsU, a former program of StoryCorps Education.

A year later, they sat down to make another recording for StoryCorps.

Aaron’s last name and photo were withheld at the request of his foster care agency.

Originally aired March 7, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.