A career well-crafted

Fernando Ibarra balances his time working for UTRGV Campus Facilities Operations and volunteering at Holy Family Church in Brownsville.

Ibarra, a maintenance worker, started as a part-time employee for the university, when it was legacy institution University of Texas at Brownsville, in 1999, but then in 2000 was moved to full time. His duties include maintenance and checking if the roofs are in good condition and clean so that drains do not clog when it rains.

“What I do here is maintenance,” Ibarra said in Spanish. “I have to check the roofs, that they are in good condition, that they are clean because if there is trash, a lot of trash piles up, believe it or not. If there is trash, the drains clog and then water builds up. The least that can happen is that there are leaks on the roof, but there can even be a collapse.”

He is also responsible for ensuring the main doors of buildings are working properly. He builds furniture when asked to, such as desks, and the pergola by the bridge over the Lozano-Banco Resaca on the Brownsville campus.

“It is a great satisfaction to see when people like your work,” Ibarra said.

Ibarra said he has learned most of the work he can do now while working at the university. He has a carpentry certificate from Texas Southmost College, but said that at school they show you the basics.

“We have done remodeling here, walls and doors,” Ibarra said. “We have done everything here. So, the majority of things, even building sidewalks, the majority of things I’ve learned here. … Ninety percent of what I do, I learned in the 19 years that I have been working here.”

When he is not at work, Ibarra spends a lot of his time at Holy Family Church, on East Tyler Street, where he directs the children’s and adult choirs and does voluntary carpentry. He and his family also help in the kitchen and participate in the church kermés.

Flexibility and freedom are some of the things Ibarra likes about his job.

“I like how they are sensible in our department in the aspect that if you have a commitment with your family, they let you leave earlier,” he said. “I like that I am out on the campus. I’m not shut in an office. I’m free and, well, I have my own tools. I have my own workshop.”

Martin Cortez, assistant director of Facilities Maintenance Operations, said Ibarra is a patient worker who takes his time with details while working on a project. Cortez also said Ibarra is a good person.

“He’ll go out of his way to help people and [is] very accommodating,” Cortez said. “If you need help, he’s there to help. … He’s reliable. If you need him to come in and do some work after hours or before hours, he will make the time to come in.”

Ibarra plans to work at the church once he retires from the university.

“If I retire from here, I will go work at the church,” he said. “I have worked there and there is a lot to do. Right now, that is what I’m thinking.”

Asked what memorable experience he’s had while working at the university, Ibarra recalled a scary incident.

“Well, they scared me one time,” Ibarra said. “We were still a part of UTB. We were working in the [old] commissary, that is what it’s called, it’s by the [old] morgue. …

“I was in the basement and when I arrived at a little room there, we had already taken off the door. It was open, but suddenly they turned off the lights on me and I turned to ask, ‘Who turned off the light?’ and well, no one [was there]. And then I flip the switch and the light turns on and I said, ‘Well, who turned it off?’ I am looking at it.”

He also has good experiences, like meeting new people and seeing students come and go.

“You meet good people,” Ibarra said. “You meet people all the time, of all nationalities. … Everything is full of good things.”

Ibarra advises students to study something they will enjoy because it will be their career for the rest of their lives and it won’t feel stressful.

“My daughter will be going to university, too,” he said. “That is the advice I give her. Study something you like, mija. Don’t look too much on whether that career earns more and such, because you are going to be unhappy for rushing, for being in something you don’t like. … It’s better to look for something that you like because it is going to be forever.”

Para la versión en español de este artículo, oprima aquí.