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A little over two years ago, Michele Moyer faced complications in her professional career. Her health conditions made it difficult for her to be around sugary desserts, which were prominent in her role as a pastry chef. While she worked hard to move up to where she was in the culinary world, after four years of this dilemma, she knew it was time to leave her cooking career behind and begin the search for a new path.

A friend suggested a job as a custodian at 911������. It was a perfect fit for someone used to high-stress, managerial environments, and she wanted to return to school to finish her degree. But the stigma surrounding custodial jobs quickly left her in doubt.

“It was super ego-busting in the beginning,” Moyer said. “I was really struggling with what I was doing.”

One day, an RCBC student named Sai slipped Moyer a note during her first week on the job. It was precisely what Moyer needed to ease her uncertainty at an unfamiliar time in her life.

“I was really nervous about it, and I was like, ‘I’ve never been a custodian, I don’t know how to do this,’” Moyer said. “And she left me a message, and she’s like, ‘I see you work really hard here, and I appreciate you,’ and it changed everything for me. It made me realize it’s not about me; my job is really important here.”

Moyer quickly integrated into the culture at RCBC. Her infectious smile and helpful personality have made an impression on almost everyone who’s met her or seen her around campus. Last year, when the college ran its weekly Thankful Thursday campaign, gained the most likes over its seven-month run.

Because of her impact, Moyer was presented with the fall semester’s Barons Best award, given every semester to a staff member who exemplifies the ideals of being an RCBC Baron – hard work, loyalty, innovation, service to the community, and a student-first disposition.

“Michele exemplifies the type of employee every department hopes to have—driven, dependable, and trusted,” facilities senior lead Michael Henry said. “Her impact is felt every day in how smoothly our operations function. Michele is well-respected among her peers, not only for her professionalism but also for the support and encouragement she provides to others.”

“It feels really good,” Moyer said of her selection as Barons Best. “I love RCBC, I love why I’m here, and I love what I do.”

Much of Moyer’s day as an assistant lead custodian involves traveling to different buildings, checking what needs to be fixed or cleaned, assigning custodial duties, and handling work orders. It’s behind-the-scenes work that may not be flashy, but it’s vital to the success of staff, faculty, and, most importantly, students.

“The bottom line is, statistics show that when you have good facilities, it increases learning,” Moyer explained. “Proper lighting, comfort, air quality, cleanliness; all of it assists student learning in the end. It’s like the unsung hero in a lot of things.”

As she didn’t train for a custodial career, Moyer has been tackling facilities training classes to improve. She came to RCBC to finish her degree. Still, after being dissatisfied with a typical degree course featuring classes like sociology and English, she found that facilities-related classes helped her excel much more.

James Clang, the college’s director of facilities and project management, has suggested classes Moyer should take. So far, she’s grasped power tools and machinery. 

“The entire facilities department has been influential in helping me acclimate to a completely new career path,” Moyer said. “All my facilities team members have taken time to teach me. I’m very grateful for them all.”

Thanks to her hard work, people frequently come up to her and praise the cleanliness of the campus—not just inside but outside, too. With the arrival of fall, Moyer enjoys admiring the groomed campus and the changing leaves on the trees.

“I never really looked at things like that before,” Moyer said. “But having this job, I look at everything completely different now, and I see my place in it.”