Independent radio producer Todd Melby has been working on a series, “Black Gold Boom,” about the people taking part in — or getting swept up in — the oil boom in western North Dakota. The boom has brought tens of thousands of new workers to the state.

For a lot of them, it’s a chance to start over. In this segment, Todd talks to Elsie Ejismekwu, who drives a truck by day and a taxi by night.

“I went through a divorce and we had a five bedroom house that we had to sell and the market was so low on it and I just wanted a fresh start.”

Todd Melby’s series, “Black Gold Boom,” is an initiative of Prairie Public and the Association for Independents in Radio.