This project began with a simple thought: I’ve known my mother as an artist, a plant and chai lover, someone who has weathered many personal storms—but I had never seen her at work. A former painter who immigrated from India, she left behind her creative career to support her family abroad, eventually starting over in her 40s. Today, she is a Senior Construction Inspector—a title that carries more than just professional weight. It reflects years of reinvention, sacrifice, and quiet resilience.
Visiting her job site for the first time, I saw a new version of the woman I thought I fully knew. She moved through dusty, sunlit construction sites with pride and purpose, confidently explaining her work—much of which I didn’t fully understand, but could feel the impact of. In the office, I noticed how her presence lingered even in the smallest ways: in the plants she’d left on coworkers’ desks, in the warmth of her conversations, in the way others responded to her with respect.
This photo essay documents a day in her boots, but it also tells a much larger story—of immigration, identity, labor, and the transformation that can happen when someone finds not just work, but a sense of agency. My mother’s journey reminds me of how powerful it is to witness someone come into their own, and how seemingly ordinary spaces—like job sites—can hold extraordinary personal narratives.
