After the final bell rings and summer break swings into effect, the custodians of Inderkum High School spring into their jobs with the same force and energy that they do throughout the school year. 

“I’ve been working here for 14 years, as a custodian and a coach for girls soccer, boys soccer, and basketball,” said John Torres, the plant manager at Inderkum High School.

Torres added, “In my job, I’m responsible for keeping the school running and that maintenance means when something breaks I have to work with vendors to get the materials to keep the AC going, the water going and the bathrooms going.” 

Torres has a storied history with Inderkum High School that goes beyond his dedicated work. 

“All three of my children graduated from Inderkum with honors, a generation of my family has gone through this school, and I’ve coached here. I bleed blue and gold,” said Torres.

Danilo Garrovillas is one of the lead custodians at Inderkum High School. 

“In the Philippines, I worked for the Rizal provincial government, I got a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and a master’s degree in Animal Husbandry,” said Garrovillas. 

When Garrovillas moved to the United States, he gained experience in several different careers. 

“First I worked in care homes,” Garrovillas said. “Then I got a job at an animal hospital and after that I was an animal technician at UC Davis. But I gave it up because the hours stopped me from driving my kids to school and my wife couldn’t drive so I took the position at Inderkum.” 

Garrovillas has filled many roles at Inderkum, similar to other custodians at the school. 

“I was a substitute at this school, and I would pick my kids up when I had a break.” “Now I’m a custodian and I like my job because I get to exercise everyday,” said Garrovillas. 

Hue Pham is a custodian at Inderkum High School who has a record of service in and outside of the United States. 

“I’ve been working as a custodian for almost 17 years, but before that when I was younger in Vietnam, right after high school I joined the army for South Vietnam,” said Pham. 

The journey for Phan to get from Vietnam to the United States was one with many precarious moments. 

Pham said, “After the war ended, since we were the losing side, I was put in a re-education camp for 5 years, and after that I lived 10 years being treated like the enemy, but there was a program to bring people like me to the United States, so I was resettled here.” 

On his job at Inderkum, Pham echoed a positive sentiment that is reflected by a yellow poster at the front of the custodian’s room. 

“I like working here, we function well as a team, and I appreciate that our experience is valued with a good structure to organize each other.”