Penny Carrizales received a phone call in the middle of the night. A pipe had burst in McIntyre Residence, so shortly thereafter, there she was, sloshing through water mid-thigh deep to clean up the mess.
“It’s all good stuff,” Carrizales smiles.
What?
“It’s no one’s fault,” she says. “There’s no need to be stressed out or complain about it. It is what it is. When it’s all said and done, it’s all cleaned up — until the next situation.”
Having to detail with the unexpected kerfuffles, cleaning dormitory bathrooms, and making sure Hillsdale’s next big event is ready does not sound like the most glamorous of jobs. For Carrizales, however, her work as a custodial float is a labor of love. it’s fitting, then, that last month she celebrated her fifth anniversary at Hillsdale College on Valentine’s Day.
“I’ve never looked back,” Carrizales said. “I love working at Hillsdale College. It’s the kids. It’s all you kids. That’s what it’s about.”
Carrizales is all around campus. She cleans the Fowler Maintenance Building in the mornings, facilities at Hayden Park, and Broadlawn three times a week, but most of her work is dealing with the crises that pop up throughout the day, from drying out areas with burst pipes to removing homecoming week banner paint from the carpeting.
While Carrizales said she has seen it all, really, she revels in the minute details.
“You always know when it’s time for finals,” she said. “The food, the snacks, there might be Cheetos in the carpet, but who cares? It’ll vacuum up; it’ll clean up.”
Senior Branden Bisher has worked with Carrizales for the past three summers on campus in hospitality functions. He said she always goes beyond the expected.
“She is so willing to assist, even in ways that aren’t her responsibility or in her job description,” Bisher said. “Things come up last minute, and maybe she’s not supposed to work that day or is supposed to clock out, and she’s willing to stay over.”
Even when prepping for her favorite campus events such as homecoming or graduation, Carrizales celebrates the little things.
“Setting up for graduation is awesome, making sure everything is ready to a T,” Carrizales said. “It’s a teamwork to make sure the gowns are ready, the stage is ready. We’re wiping off the chairs for the third time because the birds have flown over them. That’s what it’s all about.”
By that she said she means the small details matter.
“Hillsdale College always has to be a showcase,” she said. “We need to sell the college to the new kids. Yes, you come in to look at what do we offer for studies, but do you know your mom is looking at the toilet to see when was the last time it was cleaned? They’re worried about your education, but they’re worried about the atmosphere you’re going into.”
Hillsdale’s custodial staff is uncommon in that it cleans not only student common areas, but students’ rooms and their bathrooms, too.
“We try to keep that burden off of you so your main priority is your studies so we can see you walk down that aisle,” Carrizales said.
It is no wonder why Carrizales places so much emphasis on that, as she did not have the opportunity to earn a traditional college degree. The Hillsdale native graduated from Hillsdale Baptist Academy in its largest senior class at the time: five students.
During her high school summers, though, she helped clean an elementary school. Her supervisor, Lee Hubbell, always made sure the job was done properly. She credited him with her work ethic and positivity in that “tomorrow is always a new day.”
“When the summer was over, and you looked back at that building and classrooms, how they shined, you had an innerself of pride, knowing you were part of it,” she said.
After high school, Carrizales earned her cosmetology license, but did not want anything to do with hair. Instead, Carrizales began raising her family and got a job with Alsons Corp., a now-defunct shower products manufacturer. It paid for her to go to Jackson Community College for six months to take business classes, but she needed an income. She returned to work and accelerated quickly, moving from the shipping floor to becoming the head shipping clerk in charge of sending out deliveries internationally.
Those busy 24 years, however, took much time away from her family, she said. She and her husband of 29 years, Roberto, have five grown children.
“I couldn’t always be there when my kids needed something,” Carrizales said. “Somebody else had to be there, a babysitter. I feel like at Hillsdale, I’m giving back now. In loving my job, I’m giving back to the community for what they did for my kids.”
That attitude toward service was contagious for them. Her daughter works at Hillsdale County National Bank. Her youngest son is graduating from Western Michigan University this year to become a teacher. Her two other sons served a total of four deployments in the U.S. Marines.
“No matter what career, they all picked the career that was for them,” Carrizales said. “We would just sit back and support them. As a parent, that’s all we can do, even though the scariest thing in my life watching the bus take my sons off.”
Her children are spread across the country now from Maryland to California. She encouraged them to travel and see the world, because she said it was what she always wanted to do. Now, Carrizales and her husband ride their motorcycles all around the country.
She said she always packs a Hillsdale College sweatshirt, because she always meets someone who knows it. She said it is the most beautiful campus, and it is not because she cleans it.
“To think I was born and raised here and live one block away and never thought of it like that until I started working here,” she said. “I never knew the musical arts — walking through Koon, the boys grabbing guitars and singing, I love that. It’s all over campus that way, and everybody smiles.”
Those grins, though, might have to do with Carrizales herself. Senior Anna Zemaitaitis lived in Koon Residence the previous two years, where Carrizales was the housekeeper. This year, she is inviting her to her senior art show.
“Earlier this year, shortly after moving into Mauck Residence, I ran into Penny. She remembered me from Koon, and she gave me a hug, and we talked like old times,” Zemaitaitis said. “She was so kind and encouraging. To a certain extent, Penny has seen me grow up over three years and has always been a caring and supportive presence.”
That is why Carrizales takes pride in “making the buildings glow.”
“I love being on campus,” she said. “I love the people, all the way around.”
