NYCHA Notables: Maintenance Worker Mario Nelson
Kudos to Mario Nelson, Maintenance Worker at LaGuardia Houses in Manhattan, for telling New Yorkers and social media followers around the world about how he fells working for NYCHA.
When Mr. Nelson was approached in early June during his lunch hour by photographer Brandon Stanton—creator of the popular photo-blog Humans of New York—he described the satisfaction he received from doing his job and the opportunities his employment at NYCHA has provided for his family.
“I was happy to do the interview,” said Mr. Nelson, who was pleased with the write-up that he later saw on the widely read blog, some of whose more than 6,000 interviews have been compiled in a book by the same title.
“I enjoy the work that I do and I was happy to have a chance to tell people about it,” he said. It gives me joy to see how it is appreciated.”
“I do maintenance in the housing projects. I replace fixtures, do carpentry work, and fix electrical problems. I get a lot of joy from it. I love seeing how happy people get when they see that something is being done. My favorite is when I’ve fixed up an apartment for a new tenant. Sometimes the people moving in have been homeless, and they are so excited to have a home. The kids walk around the apartment with really big eyes, like: ‘We get to live here?’
I’d always wanted to be a teacher, but when my son was born I had to drop out of college and enter the workforce. I was depressed about it for a little while. It felt like my life was in vain. I watched my best friend finish college and become a teacher and a coach, which is exactly what I’d wanted to do. I was stuck working as a carpenter and doing odd jobs. But once my kids began to develop, it started to feel like my life had meaning again. Both of them graduated from college. And both of them are teachers now.”
– Mario Nelson from Humans of New York
NYCHA tells its story to the public in many ways but Mr. Nelson’s account cannot be improved upon.
He has truly put a “human” face on NYCHA. See the full interview above.
