Staff Spotlight: Jorge Gonzalez

On Thursday, Sept. 26, I sat down with Jorge Gonzalez, Charles Pratt’s beloved first-floor custodian, to learn more about the man behind the friendly notes reminding us not to leave dirty dishes in the kitchen. From his love for bounty-hunting to country music to crafting inspiring messages, Gonzalez brightens the lives of not only his residents, but also all the entire Amherst community.

Q: Where are you from?

A: Well, I grew up in the Bronx, but my parents are Puerto Rican. I’ve been living in Chicopee, Mass[achusetts] with my wife and daughter for almost three years. Before that, we lived in [New] Jersey. Work-wise, I’ve worked in security since I was 17. I got a degree in criminal justice and did bounty hunting. I worked for 11 years for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. My first post was at the 9/11 Memorial Pools where the World Trade Center used to be. From my guard house, I was facing the two pits where the towers had been. About three years ago, my wife and I lost our jobs and we moved out here. We had on and off jobs — I used to drive kids back and forth to school, but it wasn’t doing much to support the family. So when we were told to apply here, we did, and my wife and I both got jobs here [as custodial staff] in the same week.

Q: What does your work day look like?

A: I start early in the morning. I pick up the trash, throw out the trash, clean the bathrooms. Try to keep the first floor as clean as possible. I only work on the first floor and I’ve nicknamed everyone on the first floor Pratties. So when I communicate with them in the chat, I will always say “Hello, Pratties.”

Q: How do you communicate with them?

A: I asked them if I could join the GroupMe, so if I have to tell them something or they need to ask me a question, they could do it directly there. Whenever they need to ask me something, I always tell them, leave me a note on the door, [since] we have these little pads on the door. It’s a diverse day, there’s always something going on. It's the first time I’ve worked in a college environment and that I’ve actually seen residents interact. You see college on TV, but it’s not the same as seeing how everybody grows and gets along together here.

Q: Do you have favorite residents?

A: I try not to, because I treat everybody equally, with the same amount of respect. Favoritism is never a good thing. So as a custodian, you have to keep boundaries. And, I’ve told them, “Look, if you guys ever need someone to talk to, I’m always here. You can always talk to me.” And I’ll always try to give you the best advice that I can. You know, I’m a dad, so I see them as my adopted children. If I could give them a word of advice that might help them somewhere down the line, that matters to me. I use this board a lot. I write inspirational messages for them on it, something uplifting to get them through the day. Well, sometimes I’ll wrack their brains and put a riddle and they’ll come over here and read it. I’ll have a space on the side for them to give me the answer. We have a rapport, I would say.

Q: Do you have any words of wisdom for students in general?

A: One of the first things I wrote to my residents was this: you gotta remember, we are all like a grain of sand. We’re all different but perfect at the same time. In your life you’re gonna have people say that you’re not worth it, that you ain’t going nowhere. Don’t listen to what those people say. There’s always going to be people who think they’re better than you, maybe because they’re a little bit smarter than you, or whatever. That doesn’t matter. What matters is your character, and you gotta be comfortable with yourself, love yourself, because we’re perfect with all our imperfections. So you gotta, most importantly, believe in yourself. One thing that I’ve learned is that no one’s gonna love you as much as you can love yourself. And, freshman year, you’re gonna have ups and downs. You’re gonna get frustrated because of classes, but always find time to take a breath and just focus. I think that’s the best advice that I can give them.

Q: Did you have a role model or inspiration when you were growing up?

A: Our generation grew up a lot faster than we should have. We had to go to school, we had to take care of siblings, we had to do chores. We really didn’t have a lot of time. I would say there’s, three role models in my life that forged my life in one way or another: my great-grandmother, may she rest in peace, my grandmother, and my mom. My mom was the toughest, but one thing that I didn’t understand until I got older was that all the things she did forced me to become the person that I am today. I thanked her for it one time and she was surprised. When I was a kid I was assigned to write an essay about a role model. I wrote it about my great grandmother. I won the prize because what she did meant a lot to me. Today, my role models are my wife and my daughter. Each of them forges something in my life.

Q: On a less serious note, do you have a current favorite song that you’re listening to?

A: “Almost Home” by Craig Morgan. Like I said, I’m Puerto Rican, so when people hear me listening to country music, it’s kind of a shock. Well, right now I’m listening to this. It’s a good song. That’s what I was listening to in the common room when you came in.

Q: Last question, what’s your favorite food?

A: I really learned not to have one per se, because we didn’t have many options food-wise when I was growing up. We ate what was available and we learned to enjoy it. Now we're blessed that we can actually look in the fridge and say, “Oh, man, the fridge is full, what am I going to cook today?” So I really don’t have a favorite food, but if there’s anything, I would say yellow rice and corn with pork chops would be at the top. But besides that, whatever I can put on the table is always my favorite food. You enjoy it, because you have it. Whatever my mom put on the table, whether you liked it or not, that’s what you ate. So you learn how to enjoy the little things in life.

And I would tell the students today, life is hard, and after you get out of college you’re going to realize that it’s not all stars and rainbows. Sometimes you’re going to have good days, but you're going to have bad days too. As long as you have something in your fridge, as long as you have something to eat, you can consider that a good day. And that’ll be your favorite food for that day because you’ll have it.