Maria Villarreal, a building attendant for the UTRGV School of Medicine, started working for legacy institution UT Pan American 15 years ago to support her family.
Villarreal was employed by UTPA after her husband of 25 years was in a car accident that landed him in the ICU for over two weeks. As a result, she became the sole provider for their four children, even though she never had a job before.
“It was very painful for my kids because my daughters were little,” she said in Spanish.
She said she needed to work for her children.
Villarreal has four daughters named Nancy, Edna, Eliana and Lizbeth.
Dance freshman Lizbeth said her mother always did everything she could to support her family.
“She’s a very hardworking woman,” Lizbeth said. “Everything she does is for me and my sisters, and I really appreciate that.”
Carlos Chavez, the assistant director of Facilities Programs and Services, said Villarreal is dependable and needs little supervision.
“She knows exactly what is expected, and she comes and does it every day,” Chavez said. “This is a person we hardly supervise, because we already know her performance, her job dedication, and what she understands needs to be done.”
Oscar Muñoz, building attendant foreman, said people in the medical school often go directly to Villarreal with projects and assignments.
“All these projects that she’s had, along with her co-workers, she’s the one that is in the lead of these projects. They have come out with flying colors,” Muñoz said.
Villarreal said in her typical workday she makes sure the facility is clean and manages the other custodial workers in the School of Medicine. Other duties include ensuring classrooms and restrooms are sanitary for student use and answering phone calls and emails in her office.
Asked if she believes her job is impactful, Villarreal said her job is “to clean, to make sure the building is in good shape for the students, to make it feel like home.”
She likes her job and does it for the students.
“We are always making sure that the area is in the best condition for them,” she said.
The UTRGV employee said she believes her job is important and whether the campus is clean or not, is a reflection of how comfortable the students are.
“I always tell my daughters not to ever belittle anyone’s job,” she said. “All jobs are important. I have always taught them to respect others. It is really important as you go through life, you respect others. If you have respect for others, everyone is going to respect you as well. That is something I have achieved here in my job. … Everyone who knows me, staff, faculty and my co-workers, I feel that I have earned their respect because what I give is what I expect. … How we do our work is how we are going to reflect our students.”
