A Cleansed Mind

She’s more than a person who cleans up after others.

In many academic and professional buildings, the main times you can expect to see custodians cleaning up early in the morning or the late hours of the night. On a rare occasion you'll see them in the afternoon.

Besides the common courtesy of a wave, smile, or head nod, the one-sided knowledge custodians can hold is great. On the other hand, what does a custodian’s life look like?

Veronica Jackson, 39, has been a custodian with the Physical Power Plant at Southern Miss since February 18, 2019. Jackson shares her thoughts on what it is like working for the plant.

“It was offered to me as a place of fulfillment. I didn’t realize if I would like it or not. I don’t want to change jobs, the only time I want to change is when I graduate and it’s time for me to go teach,” said Jackson.

For many people working, the early morning shift is awful, but this is only the beginning in Jackson's long day.

“I get up around 4, get dressed, get my stuff in the car, my son in the car. Take him to his sister’s for her to take him to school. Come to work. Work from 5-1:30. Go to class from 3-6 and then on Wednesday its no class. I go to bed on any night from 9:30-11:30 P.M.,” said Jackson.

Jackson has four children, Monica, 21, Blaten, 18, Hannah, 14, Kasen, 4 and her grandchild Braylen who is four months old.

“My crutches. They have been the reason I never give up. There’s no way in God’s green earth I could have made it without him or them. He knew I needed them more than they needed me,” said Jackson.

With the love for her children and the passion to work in the medical field as a newborn deliverer. Jackson's life took a turn having to make changes within her life.

“For 10 years I was a single mom and I was married for five divorced for 10 and got remarried which has been another one of my struggles.”

With Jackson overcoming obstacles in her life and experiencing similar struggles with people close to her. Her mother and her faith in Christ was the turn around her life needed to change.

“My mama got hit by a train when I was 28 years old. I was not living the life I was supposed to but I knew better. When that happened, my mother was everything that I have ever had, and the thought of losing her was something I could not deal with,” stated Jackson.

“I’ve overcome addiction, I’ve overcome rejection, I’ve learned to trust the Lord and not myself. I just pray. When things get tough or hard I just pray. I ask the Lord for something I need to read, hear, or see. He is the beginning and the end, and my children are next to that,” stated Jackson.

In her turnaround of life and dealing with issues in her marriage, Jackson decided to pursue education once again to be near her kids and touch others through her work.

“I’ve always wanted to work in the school district. I didn’t want to be away from my kids,” said Jackson.

Jackson has previous experience working as a substitute teacher and as a cafeteria worker having to resign due to her older son’s peers bullying him over her occupation in the school district. When taking her current position, she had the same concerns but was embraced by her family.

“I felt a little ashamed at first, I never actually had the title custodian and I was thinking my kids would be ashamed of me but they’re not. They’re thankful, they’re proud, they’re happy that I’m happy. So now when someone asks what I do, I say that I’m a custodian at the physical power plant and I love it.”

Jackson has plans to become a physical education teacher or a coach always referring to her lifestyle and work responsibilities. 

“The only time you’ll see me sitting is when I’m in church, bed, or if I’m sick. I’m very active. When you walk 5 -6 miles a day just for work, you stay active. Laziness gets you nowhere.”

With the amount of work and responsibilities, Jackson deals with on a daily basis the benefits of her job help her greatly with Director of the Physical Power Plant, Chris Crenshaw giving details.

“As any university staff member, you can take two free classes a semester. The requirement is that you cannot take both during the day not missing out work. The minimum payment for an entry-level worker is $10.10 and with the competitive pay people can be promoted to their job skills or when a vacancy is left open,” said Crenshaw.

Along with this good start off, many other benefits custodians receive is workman’s compensation if injured on the job. Access to the Family Matter Leave Act to ensure the protection of their job when on emergency leave, health insurance, and scholarships to children of university staff and tuition assistance.

“I have a special place in my heart for the custodial staff. They are lifting garbage bags that could weight 30 – 40 pounds. What they do during gamedays preparing and working the events and out there at 5 the morning after cleaning up, it’s hard. It’s a commitment to what our workers do,” said Crenshaw.

If they work eight years they can have the opportunity to become vested. This is when they can receive retirement money that a portion of their regular paychecks went towards to along with the University giving funds to the account.

With many things on Jackson’s mind here at Southern Miss working, being a mother, and going to class she has set high goals to accomplish for herself and others around her.

“In my life, I want to buy a house, graduate from college, get my teaching position, love where I’m at, love the children I’ll be in contact with, make a difference, be a good mother, and raise my children,” said Jackson.