Elizabeth Fernandez wears a necklace that reads, “She believed she could, so she did.” It’s her personal mantra—but it wasn’t always.
“Before I began working at Servicon, I was in a bad situation,” Elizabeth confesses. “I was unemployed, pregnant, and in an unhealthy and painful relationship. But I was determined to create a better life for my daughter, Joy, and me.”
One week after Joy’s birth, Elizabeth’s cousin mentioned that Servicon was hiring. “‘But it’s for cleaning,’ she told me, like that was a downside,” Elizabeth says. “I thought, ‘It’s a job, and the pay is OK.’ My cousin said because I had just had a baby, I had to wait, so I applied while I was waiting.”
A month and a half later, Elizabeth started working weekends for Servicon as an environmental services (EVS) technician at an urgent care facility. It wasn’t easy.
“I left my baby a month and a half after having her, and it was hard getting any sleep,” she says. “It was during COVID, and it was very busy at the urgent care, with kids coming in all day long. But I got the hang of it, and I loved it.”
“Work was my salvation. I couldn’t wait to be away from home. Sometimes, I would come to work with extreme stress from my home life. My supervisor was very supportive, not just telling me what to do but giving real support.”
Soon Elizabeth was hired to work three nights on the graveyard shift at LAC+USC hospital, then full time. Barely 10 months from her start date, she was promoted to her current position of operations supervisor.
“When I was promoted, first and foremost, I felt grateful to a higher power and to Servicon. Because of this company, I look forward and see a future with promise for my daughter and me. I can bring my daughter up with pride. It also strengthened my relationship with my mother. We are talking again and have a beautiful relationship we never had before. She is proud of me and my hard work. If it weren’t for Servicon, my life would not be what it is today. It’s scary to think what it could have been.”
Elizabeth is confident she is not alone. “It’s not just me,” she says. “Another coworker said if it were not for this company, he would be somewhere not good. He said the company gave him hope and built his confidence. I know many other people feel the same. Servicon’s management doesn’t just develop leaders to oversee, to tell people what to do. They are dedicated to us as people. They give real support and positive feedback. They care. I don’t even think they realize how much this means to some of us.”
Elizabeth is only too happy to share what she sees as her good fortune. “I always recommend Servicon, telling people they should apply for a job,” she says.” I told the priest at the church near my house if he knows people who want and are ready to work, he should tell them to apply.”
As for her cousin’s view of cleaning? “What we do is not just cleaning,” Elizabeth says. “We are taught to engage with people. We help people recover and heal. We see the difference we make. Patients thank me and appreciate the quality of work.”
Elizabeth has found a winning combination: “Servicon gives you a chance to grow and to be something. Not every company does that. Thanks to Servicon, I am happy; I have a career, and I love it. Servicon not only builds leaders; it also changes lives.”
