*The quotes in these interviews have been translated from Spanish
Every day, M-A’s custodial staff works diligently to keep the school clean, organized, and welcoming for everyone. Behind the M-A environment are these dedicated individuals.
Nathan Garcia
Nathan Garcia went to Woodside High School, where he was a quiet and athletic student. “I did a lot of sports freshman year and sophomore year. I did football then, but all four years I did wrestling,” he said.
Garcia discovered the custodial position at M-A from a friend. “He was on the wrestling team here, and told me about it. And when I got hired, it wasn’t this school specifically, until all my co-workers said, ‘Hey, there’s a position open up at M-A,’ and I learned about the campus, the community with it, and now I’m here.” Garcia has been working at M-A for over a year.
Luis Mendoza
Luis Mendoza, an M-A alumni ’14, recently started working at M-A after working at Carlmont for the last decade. Mendoza had great relations with everybody during his high school years. “I didn’t go to college. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I just ended up starting working hard and ended up getting a job here after high school as custodian in the sub pool for the district,” Mendoza said.
He discovered the janitor position from the old plant manager, Brian Oliver. Oliver was responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the school grounds and managing the custodial staff, ensuring the school was clean. “I was his T.A. my senior year for the facilities crew. So I just go around after lunch, I would have his period, I’d pick up all the garbage on the floor,” he said. Oliver offered Mendoza a job after high school as a substitute, and he took it, working for about two years before getting hired at Carlmont.
Griselda Esparza
Griselda Esparza attended Overfelt High School in San Jose. During her high school years, she considered herself a social butterfly. “I would go from club to club and just walk around campus and talk to everybody,” Esparza said. “I think the friendships and being the little social butterfly, I got a glimpse of every culture.”
Esparza worked with students who have disabilities for eight to 10 years before joining M-A. “My neighbor got me an interview to work here, and then I came here, I think in 2019, and I’ve been here ever since,” Esparza said. She is currently studying to be a Respiratory Therapist.
Patricia Vasquez*
Patricia Vasquez, who grew up in Mexico City, was an avid athlete in high school and was also interested in psychology. “Well, I really liked doing a lot of sports. I would do basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics,” Vasquez said.
“They told me that they were hiring people to work here,” Vasquez said. She’s been working at M-A for three years.
Juan Flores*
Juan Flores grew up attending Instituto Nacional Isidro Menéndez in El Salvador. During high school, he enjoyed studying math and history. “I wanted to be a lawyer, but things changed, and I had to move over here,” Flores said.
In his free time, Flores enjoys being a DJ. “Sometimes I volunteer here for events,” Flores said. “Like last year, the last one I’ve done was for Latinos Day.”
He found out about the position from his wife. “My wife worked here, and I was working in San Bruno Park. So when a position opened up, I got hired.” Flores said. He’s been working here for 11 years.
