Humans of Santa Clara: Meet the people who make SCU beautiful

What makes Santa Clara’s campus so beautiful? Maybe it’s the roses in the Mission Garden in full bloom, the old wisteria arbor shading students as they enter the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís, or the intricately painted walls and ceilings inside the church.

Or maybe SCU’s beauty is a little more intangible. It’s in the smile from the barista serving students their morning coffees and croissants. The sunny solace of an outdoor study space on the balcony of the Sobrato Campus of Innovation and Discovery. The antiquity of the books and archive collections inside the University library’s vault.

It’s true—our campus is stunning. But have you ever wondered who makes it this way?

Meet the humans of Santa Clara. These are the people working diligently, often behind the scenes, to make campus a welcome sight for students, faculty, and visitors alike. Hear from them, in their own words.

Joe, groundskeeper

“I especially like to work in the area right by the church. Keep it clean. It’s where a lot of people walk through, and I want it to look beautiful for them. When it looks good, I feel good.”

When you think of SCU beauty, what comes to mind? Perhaps the roses in the Mission Garden in full bloom, the palm-lined path leading to the Mission Church, the wisteria arbor shading students from the sun. Meet the guy behind the garden shears: Joe Candeias.

A groundskeeper for 17 years, Joe is dedicated to caring for the manicured lawns and perfectly pruned rose bushes.

The following is adapted from his words:

Before I got this job at Santa Clara, I ran my own small landscaping business. I did that for a long time—24 years. It was hard because you work for a lot of different people, and not everyone wants things done in the same way. If I do a certain thing at one house, it doesn’t mean that the next house is going to like what I did at their neighbors’.

So when I started working at Santa Clara in 2008, it was an easy adjustment. I even started liking gardening more. I like the environment here. I’ve worked in different areas around campus but in every single one, I enjoy the team. We all want to be proud of what we do.

I like to get here early in the morning. I mow the big lawns where the students like to come and lay out in the sun. During the school year, the grass is full of young people. It’s like they’re on the beach. If I have the time, I trim the rose bushes and flowers. I especially like to work in the area right by the church. Keep it clean. It’s where a lot of people walk through, and I want it to look beautiful for them. When it looks good, I feel good.

You know what really makes Santa Clara beautiful? The students. They make this place come to life.

Leandra, the Mission

“One beautiful detail I’ve come to appreciate about the Mission is the original adobe wall in the St. Francis Chapel. It’s a reminder of SCU’s deep roots. I find it moving to see the texture of the adobe, and to think about how it has endured for nearly two centuries.”

Emma, barista

“I like to take care of people. At Santa Clara, I feel like I’m taking care of the students and faculty and visitors. … They always visit me with a smile and that makes me happy.”

The hub of student life on Santa Clara University’s campus, Benson Memorial Center, is a symphony of sensory delights. Students shuffling through the concourse, espresso machines whirring day and night to fuel their brain power, and the aromas of diverse cuisines wafting through the air tempt passersby to pause and refuel. Layered within is the harmony of chatter and laughter.

It’s a place for nourishment—both literal and figurative. A welcoming spot for casual meals and fruitful conversations. A community gathering area that captures SCU beauty in its bustling energy and spirit.

Behind this bedrock of the SCU campus community are many humans responsible for keeping Broncos satiated. One of them is Emma Peña-Gallardo, a Bon Appetit employee of 27 years you may have seen steaming your daily latte behind the counter of Mission Bakery in Benson or serving your croissant at Fresh Bytes cafe in SCDI.

The following is adapted from her words:

I love it when the students come back to school every fall quarter. The energy around here is back to 100%, and it’s very different from summer when campus is so quiet. When I’m at the Mission Bakery in Benson, I see a lot of kids walking back and forth. It’s noisy, in a good way. Everybody looks happy to be here.

A lot of people at Santa Clara know who I am because I always say hi to our customers. I like to talk with the students a lot—about their families, where they come from. Many students come from another country and it’s nice hearing about their lives before they arrived here. They always visit me with a smile, and that makes me happy. It makes me feel like I do a good job.

I like to take care of people. At Santa Clara, I feel like I’m taking care of the students and faculty and visitors. I make them great cappuccinos. That’s my favorite drink to make.

I think Benson is beautiful. It’s so big and airy. And every time the building gets remodeled, it becomes even more beautiful. A lot of change has happened here over the years. When I started it was very different. Now, the students have more options to eat and to drink. And the students love this place. They make it the most beautiful.

Monica, librarian

“My work makes Santa Clara beautiful because students, faculty, and the public all have the opportunity to see historic, rare, and unique materials that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to access.”

Tucked away in the Archives & Special Collections of the Santa Clara University Library is a different kind of SCU beauty. It’s not as obvious as the picturesque palm trees and lush rose bushes lining the path to the Mission Church, or the Spanish-style, sun-drenched architecture of campus. It’s quieter. More subtle, living in the delicate pages of handwritten letters, rare books and manuscripts, sepia-toned photographs, and centuries-old artifacts.

These treasures tell the story of the University, from its beginnings as Mission Santa Clara to its growth into California’s oldest institution of higher education. Safeguarding history is crucial to understanding where we come from and provides valuable lessons for our future. Meet one of the humans who preserves this history: special collections librarian Monica Keane.

The following is adapted from her words:

One of the things I get to do here that’s especially meaningful is help people see the sacramental records from the Mission era. We’re the only university in California with a mission on its campus. Because of that, we help people learn more about their families and their connections to this particular place. We also assist with references for other missions, since they sometimes only have a docent or volunteers on staff. So, we help people figure out how to find and read those materials.

I think one of the reasons we have such a beautiful campus at Santa Clara is because people have cared for it. From the time the University was started, there were dreams of it becoming bigger, but there was also a strong commitment to education. The founders wanted to make sure it was a place where people could come and learn.

That emphasis on values and care is what makes it a beautiful place. It’s why alumni come back to visit, why they send their kids here, and why they feel such a strong connection to it. As someone who teaches using our archives and rare books, I get to see that connection firsthand.