After immigrating to the United States in the 1970’s my mom’s life journey took a challenging and rewarding turn when she pursued a career as a school social worker in one of the most troubled school systems in the country. At home, I grew up with her stories and always noticed the combination of great satisfaction and frequent frustration; the system was a machine and that machine placed very little value on the humans that worked within it or the humans that it was established to serve. But my mother, who values helping others above all else, would not be deterred. On today’s program, the kickoff episode for a new season of Realities where the conversations will take place around the dinner table, you will hear from my mother as she and I look back at her career and eventually retirement, and how she sees it all now. The setting is her temporary kitchen table in Jensen Beach, Florida… an appropriate place to evaluate a magnificient career.