The work of a custodian is not one that many students ponder upon. Long hours of mopping tiles and scrubbing profanities off the walls of bathroom stalls are not exactly the picture of a glamorous career. But the custodians, maintenance workers and groundskeepers of Fresno City College, or any campus for that matter, are in many ways the unsung heroes of the institution.

These men and women keep the hallways clean, keep the lights glowing in the classrooms and keep the air conditioners running. Without the hard work of these people on campus, the lives of the students, staff and faculty would be very grim and unpleasant to imagine.

John Luna, 55, a custodian at Fresno City College is one of these unsung heroes. He’s been employed at FCC for six years now, and works hard to keep the campus functioning. Luna represents the working man, doing his job with literally a blue collar. But for what it’s worth, he’s a happy man. He’s rarely seen without a cheek-to-cheek grin and a warm welcome to those fortunate enough to encounter him in the hall.

“I feel great,” Luna says of his life. He beams when he describes his interaction with students and faculty, “a little word here and there is just an added bonus.”

Prior to his custodial work, John Luna studied to become a beautician, working at a barber shop and a second job at $7 an hour during the hardships of a sour economy. After this, he worked as a bus technician.

Then, in 2006, Luna managed to get a contract to work as a custodial technician for FCC, a job which promised him benefits and better financial security. With luck, he was able to get in right before the recession was in full swing, so while he isn’t immune from the hard times hitting the whole of the middle class, Luna is getting by through steady pay and financial thrift.

It isn’t always a pretty profession, but Luna is not complaining. In fact, Luna stressed that he is very aware of the difference he makes. He knows the importance of the role that custodians like himself play in the education of the student body.

“Sometimes you think about people,” he says of students. “That’s what it’s about. You partake in their success by making sure that they have a clean environment. And I think I speak for the other custodians as well as maintenance and grounds.”

In addition to this understanding, Luna takes great influence from his faith. He was raised in family of devout Catholics, and his brother works for a radio station devoted to such a cause. Luna has since left the idea of denominations, but still considers his faith to be an integral part of his life. In fact, Luna even goes as far as to cite prayer as one of his “secrets to happiness.” His faith was a gift to him from his mother, a woman he continues to admire long after her passing.

Luna does his job not only for the benefits, but also for his family.

He has been happily married for 25 years to the same woman, a working mother and a devoted partner. He met her at the wedding party of a friend, claiming that it was love at first sight.

“I was walking down the aisle and I saw her at the party,” he fondly remembers “and I said to myself: ‘That’s the one I want to marry, that’s the girl.’”

And together with his wife, Luna has raised two children. His daughter, 23 is a published children’s author, who wrote and illustrated her own book, “Precious and Loved”.

His son, 21, is an avid musician like his father and plays the guitar, drums and bass. Luna himself has been playing the guitar for 43 years. In fact, he plays his 12-string every day on his break, saying it is his own way of winding down.

“Some people relax with a novel, or by smoking a cigarette,” he said. “But that’s how I wind down — by playing a little bit of music.”

Luna was born in Fresno and raised in Firebaugh. In regards to his upbringing, Luna explains that he learned from his father, a trucker, and his mother, a homemaker, how to work hard.

Most of all, he learned as the third child in a family of five siblings what value there is in family.

That “Luna” love, which he uses to describe the bond he shares with his loved ones, and hard work appear to be what drives him through life. Just like so many hard-working men, he understands the value and meaning of manual labor. He knows that there is great pride to be found in it. And it’s the devoted and loving family that he comes home to that tops off even the toughest of days.

Luna enjoys his interactions with students and staff, even if it is a simple hello. He is happy to win people over with his friendly disposition. These are the values that he lives for.

This was what his father taught him as a boy and what he has been demonstrating to his own children as well. In living out those values, Luna aims to make a difference in his corner of the world.

“Those are things you got to work on every day,” he added, “being a good husband, a good father, a good employee.”

A clean room to study in is rarely appreciated, and so many take it for granted, tossing their gum in the urinal and going about their day.

But the unsung heroes keep doing their jobs with pride, with no complaints about the task at hand. And when the students leave Fresno City and move on to the universities, it will be more than just professors and deans, but also people like John Luna that made it all possible.

“I enjoy my greetings with the people here and having them call me by my first name,” Luna said.

“It might sound a little bit crazy, but I look forward to Monday mornings.”