Fidel Garza, project manager in UST's Facilities Operations, is a man on a mission. He took it upon himself to schedule appointments with Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center for 13 custodians, 50 years old and up, to receive the COVID vaccine.

“Many of our custodians were on a waiting list and haven’t received the vaccine,” he said. “I was worried about them, so I asked in a meeting if they were interested in getting a vaccine shot, and they said 'yes.' I scheduled the appointments, and I am taking 13 custodians with me in a University van this week. It is important to protect these employees who help keep the campus in tip-top shape.”

The custodians will receive the Pfizer shot.

The responses from the custodians were heartfelt. "Thanks UST for caring for us."  "Thank you for translating for us."  "Thanks for taking us to the place and bringing us back." 

Thank you for your Kindness

Garza joined UST in April 2020 as project manager of construction in Facilities Operations. He is a structural engineer by trade and recently worked as a project manager at a local engineering firm. He wanted a job closer to his home, applied to UST, and was happy when he learned he got the job.

Praise for Goodwill Gesture

Spencer Conroy, Vice President of Finance and Business Affairs, oversees the Facilities Operations Department on campus. He had this to say about the goodwill gesture. “The University values our custodial staff very highly," he said. "These are the men and women who have been working to keep our campus disinfected and clean throughout the pandemic. Many of these individuals speak English as a second language, making the process of registering to receive vaccinations even more daunting and confusing.

"When I heard that Fidel Garza, the University’s project manager, took it upon himself to sit down with each interested individual personally to help them register to receive their vaccinations and then coordinated with the University Police Department to arrange for them to be transported to the vaccination sites, I was ecstatic. This is the kind of caring attitude that makes UST such a phenomenal place. Going above and beyond to care for each other isn’t something that has to be orchestrated from the top, but which happens organically because that care is genuine. This is a prime example of the fearless culture of positive change that we set out to establish almost three years ago. I’m so proud to be part of UST, and I’m blown away by the fantastic people we all have the privilege of working with on a daily basis,” Conroy said.