Enrique Castro Jr. uses his work experience to help maintain a presentable campus as a staff member of the UTRGV Campus Facilities Operations.
Castro, a groundskeeper, started working for UTRGV in 2008, but has been employed since 1979 in various fields, such as farm work, maquiladoras and construction. He has worked in Florida, North Carolina, Minneapolis and Houston.
He recalls the hard work of his time in the fields.
“Working in labor, well, it’s hard,” Castro said in Spanish. “It is waking up at 3 in the morning, preparing breakfast and boarding a bus that takes you to work eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 hours in the sun or in the cold, whichever of the two, depending on where you were assigned.”
Castro is from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, where he had businesses such as a jewelry shop, shoe store and taqueria, but had to leave the city because of the violence and to improve himself.
“I came here due to the danger there was in Matamoros,” he said. “We had to come to Brownsville. I got married here, had my son and, well, to not be over there in the danger.”
Castro’s duties as a groundskeeper include operating the excavators, forklifts, installing pipelines, working with the irrigation systems and repairing machinery.
He likes the opportunities given to the employees to try out new ideas that will benefit the campus, using their previous experience and knowledge.
“We try to give our two cents and give better ideas to take advantage of time … and try to always maintain the campus presentable for the students,” Castro said.
When he is not working, Castro likes to spend his time off making repairs at home, exercising or playing racquetball.
Daniel Gonzalez, the superintendent of Grounds Maintenance, said Castro is a hardworking and dependable employee.
“He’s always willing to go above and beyond with his co-workers and as a personal friend,” Gonzalez said. “Outside of work, he’s a family man and always there for his family and for his friends.”
While working with Castro, Gonzalez said he has learned about irrigation, carpentry and mechanic work.
Castro spoke about various experiences during his time as a groundskeeper at the university, such as working during inclement weather, when he worked through wind and rain while picking up fallen trees, and also being present throughout the university’s transition from legacy institution University of Texas at Brownsville to UTRGV.
After he retires from his full-time position at UTRGV, Castro plans to continue working, either part time at the university or doing repairs at home, such as remodeling, mowing the lawn and painting.
Castro advises students to keep progressing, working and studying to shape a better future for generations to come.
“It’s never late to start,” he said. “It’s never late to study or work. It doesn’t matter if we are old, as long as our bodies hold.”
