Tohopekaliga High School custodian Ramiro Hernandez Julia was named as a top 10 finalist in the 2023 Cintas Custodian of the Year Contest after being nominated by the school’s assistant principal, Michael Glassburn.
The Cintas contest, won by a custodian from Georgia, aims to highlight hard-working custodians in the K-12 school system, which was most likely why Glassburn saw Hernandez as a fitting candidate.
A typical day for Hernandez consists of many tasks including opening the campus doors and classrooms, securing the parking lot, and checking the functionality of facilities like the air conditioning.
“I just make sure the school is ready,” Hernandez said.
When asked about the most enjoyable part of his job, Hernandez was quick to state his love for kids as not only his favorite part of the job but as a motivator to do his job as well.
“I try to help the kids out, to mentor them, help them stay out of trouble, and do things right,” he said.
To Hernandez, all the kids are great but he did admit to having his favorites around campus. He said that one student, in particular, reminds him of his daughter, as she could always be seen studying, but overall Hernandez describes his experience working around teenagers as “rewarding.”
Outside of his job, Hernandez finds great pleasure in being a doit- yourself handyman. Whether this means fixing up his car or house, Hernandez is always working on a new project.
“I like to fix things – it’s just how I am,” he said, noting a love for race cars and watching drag racing.
Despite his recent popularity, Hernandez stated that he is not someone who seeks out attention but instead finds value in being valued.
“I like to be appreciated,” he said. “As long as you appreciate what I do for you, I’m happy with that, that’s like my reward.”
Hernandez was also quick to express his gratitude for being nominated as it was not something that he expected in the slightest.
“I would say it feels awesome, it feels really good. I was really surprised because I wasn’t expecting that, I’m just glad I got nominated,” he said.
