David Huynh has made the most of his professional opportunities at UCSF. In fact, he’s worked hard to create those opportunities.
Five years ago, Huynh, a Vietnamese immigrant, knew he wanted to leave his job as a mechanic, where he had worked for more than 20 years. He was interested in joining UCSF because of the professional opportunities and stability that the university’s employee benefits could provide.
Huynh began attending City College of San Francisco and soon earned a certificate in custodial services. “I wanted to develop skills that would open the door for a position at UCSF,” he said.
In 2018, that opportunity presented itself. While he was working as a janitor with MGA Employee Services, a position opened at UCSF in Custodial Services. “I took a leap of faith,” he said. “I told myself, you don’t know until you try.”
While he didn’t have prior experience as a janitor, he learned quickly. For the next six months, Huynh studied every aspect of janitorial service. He was willing to do any job. That’s when he caught the eye of Landscape Supervisor Denny Nguyen.
“I noticed he was very detailed in his approach to work, and he enjoyed working outside,” Nguyen said. “He’s very thorough in his cleaning and weeding. If I assigned David an area, I knew he did it because I could see the attention to detail.”
Huynh said he learned a lot from Nguyen about landscaping and working at UCSF. “He shared his experience with me,” Huynh said. “I had been working on cars for 20 years and I was starting all over as a custodian and then as a gardener. Denny taught me how to identify plants and how each plant has its own personality. Some like the shade, others like sun. Some like lots of water and some like a little.”
Huynh worked for five years in Landscaping and Pest Control and began building relationships across UCSF. “I enjoy working with the different people at UCSF,” he said. “I always tell myself, open a path, don’t’ build a wall.”
By building relationships, Huynh learned of an opportunity in Fire and Life Safety. He’s now inspecting fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, and more. When he first started in the department, he told Assistant Director of Fire Alarm & Life Safety Systems, Raj Bhakta, that he was willing to do anything. “I didn’t care where I worked. I was willing to learn anything.”
Bhakta said he’s amazed by Huynh’s ability to pick up new job skills so quickly. “He has already made a big impact with the Fire and Life Safety group,” Bhakta said. “His ability to quicky learn and to work both as part of a team and independently has made a big impact on our inspections of fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers and fire sprinklers,” Bhakta said. “He understands the job scope and requirements for fire life safety systems and is preforming tasks like a veteran with minimum supervision. He is well mannered, very polite and a team player. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Huynh has set an example for what is possible by pursuing development opportunities in CLS said Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Life Services, Jon Giacomi. “We are so proud of David. I want to see much more of this across CLS in the months and years to come, and I will be encouraging managers to create and staff to pursue these options.”
While his career at UCSF has been a whirlwind, Huynh said he’s proud of where he’s come from and where he’s headed. “My mother and brother remain in Vietnam, and I have family in Michigan and Toronto, Canada. It’s really a small world and I love working with the different people at UCSF. I’m grateful for the opportunities the university has provided.”
