Meet MECA’s very own, Joshua Del Real. As the custodian, he is the reason the campus stays clean and shiny every day. Not only does he ensure the cleanliness of MECA, but he puts a smile on the faces of students and staff alike.
Security Guard, Alex Palacios shares, “Seeing him in the morning brightens my day. He cares about day to day activities, what’s going on amongst staff, amongst students.” The regard Del Real has for everyone is evident through the hard work he puts into his tasks. Palacios continues, “He stays on top of everything that he does. For sure, you can see that he cares about his work here.”
His efforts do not go unnoticed by students, either. Senior Samuel Amador notices that the bathrooms have been a lot cleaner since Del Real’s arrival, and feels that he “deserves a little more recognition.”
While MECA has not always been Del Real’s home school, he is happy to be here now. He previously worked at Coronado High School for five years, on the night shift. He explains, “I wanted to work in the mornings and this position opened up, so I went ahead and applied for it, and thankfully I got it.” Having this job in the morning and daytime has guaranteed him more time with his two young daughters. While his daughters are not high school age yet, he hopes they will be MECA-bound. “I would love to move my kids once they get to that age. It’s a very nice environment. You earn your college credits and get a head start for college and life,” he stated.
His job as a custodian comes second in his priorities, as his daughters are first in his heart. He’s watching them grow and is in disbelief. He observes, “Time flies, that’s why I was happy to get this morning shift so I could spend more time with them because when I was working in the evening I wasn’t around them a lot, and there were day-to-day things I missed out on.
Furthermore, just as students and staff admire Del Real, he admires the MECA atmosphere. “Everyone’s really welcoming here. I could tell everyone has a very positive attitude. Everyone’s smiling, it’s a nice culture. It’s a different environment.” It makes it easier for him to come to work daily knowing that he will be surrounded by those who will lift him up.
Junior Joshua Fermalino elaborates that while he does not know Del Real on a personal level, he would like to change that. He shared, “I’d be down to talk to him, and get to know him… He’s been pretty chill, I kind of enjoy his presence.” Similar to Amador, Fermalino does not think that Del Real is appreciated enough around campus and hopes to see that change in the near future.
This is your sign to go tell Joshua Del Real thank you for all he does for MECA! The campus would not look the same without him.
