Complex sentence: Maria Helen Alvarez Smith began her career as a pioneer in the TV industry, from a menial start in which she undertook basic odd jobs and secretarial tasks at a Tulsa, radio station in the 1940s.
Split into simpler sentences: Maria Helen Alvarez Smith began her career as a pioneer in the TV industry. She started off in a very menial position, doing odd jobs and secretarial tasks at a Tulsa, radio station in the 1940s.