#CYPossible: Brian Penesa, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Completing coursework calls for celebration, and we are proud to celebrate with Cypress College’s newest degree- and certificate-holders. By achieving these education goals, graduates and certificate-earners are equipped to continue on their college path or find strong footholds in the career fields they’ve chosen. We’ve taken the journey with these outstanding students, and know that when they look to the horizon, they see what is #CYPossible.
Please tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? What are your interests? What is your story?
I was raised in Lakewood. I am one of four brothers, and I’m a twin. Mainly I’m a guy’s guy. I grew up around a lot of dudes, playing football, playing some kind of sport. I spend my time working out, going to school. I’m getting into ocean activities – swimming, surfing. I’m a simple guy, honestly!
I’m Polynesian, and heavy into my culture. I do things with my church, my community. I’ve been volunteering at my church – food drives, toy drives. Anything I can do for the community. I like spending time with my family, my brothers, whatever they have going on.
With my brothers growing up, it was chaotic. We would break things! We didn’t have a lot of money, so my dad said what you break you must fix. Replace it? My dad would say, no you gotta fix this.
My father is in maintenance and works for Manhattan Beach Unified School District. My mom did, too. We would commute there from Lakewood for school, and I got to see my parents throughout the day. I remember looking over during school and saying, “That’s my dad right over there.” He’s been a big influence in my life. He’d say: You want work and learn how to fix things but not a job that will totally destroy your body – you want to work with your mind and body.
Why did you choose to attend Cypress College and how did being a student here help you find your first position after completion?
At Cypress, Carlos Urquidi was a big part of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program. He’s helped me get scholarships, learn about the field, and find the different avenues you can take. There are so many – I thought it was only installation and service, but no. There’s engineering and maintenance and more. I’m grateful to him. Doug Sallade, Richard Hock, who retired, were both influential as well.
I’m always learning something new – finally getting my hands on these units I studied in school. It’s different being in the classroom than being in the field. It’s new. I like working as a team, in a group. It can be frustrating to figure out a solution but when you find it it’s very satisfying to solve these problems. I just like fixing things.
What did you pursue after completing your studies at Cypress College (at your transfer institution, in the workforce, etc.) and where are you now?
I’m on an internship right now with Total Environmental Management, Inc. (TEM). My work is pretty awesome – it’s intense work with commercial chillers and units, and we go all over California. Today I was in Los Angeles. The next day we’ll hop all over Orange County. It’s intense work but I really like it. You get to know the guys and joke around.
Every guy gets his say in everything; it’s a team effort. When something goes wrong, we don’t stand around and blame. If you make a mistake, it’s OK because you learn.
There are these big places where they need us to get there and work fast. It can be uncomfortable in the heat. It could be miserable, but we joke around and everyone has a great attitude. The guys will teach you if you’re willing to learn and they’ll help you if you make a mistake. I like being in an environment that’s like a group of brothers
What are your long-term goals? What do you aspire to?
In this field, I’d like to excel and move up; not just work in service, but down the line learn engineering, learn these units and help them evolve in this industry. I want to help make this field more efficient – cost-efficient, energy-efficient. In California, so many things are getting phased out because they’re polluting the air or damaging the environment. I’d like to grow this field in a good direction.
What are you most passionate about? Why?
I like to take care of my mind, my body, and my soul. That’s why I like to try to stay in shape, it gives me good energy. I like to read and grow my intelligence. And grow my emotional intelligence, for my girlfriend. I like to read things through church about how to be a better person. I like learning new things, challenging myself and having new experience and enjoying life to the fullest, and I believe the best way to enjoy life is to challenge yourself and go after things that are hard but attainable.
What are you most proud of?
I’m proud of my last name, I’m proud to be part of my family and my culture. I’m proud to be a son to two great parents, I’m proud to be a brother to really good brothers. I’m proud to be Polynesian and of my people. It’s taught me how to be a good person – and not to take anything too seriously from others. It’s all about respect in my culture.
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would do this sooner. I would go to school right after high school. There was a big gap in time where I didn’t know what to do. I did custodial jobs, groundskeeping, warehouse work – laborious jobs where I learned some things, but I wish I would have gotten to what I love. They pay wasn’t great, and the companies didn’t care about you. TEM takes care of you and values you as a person. I can’t work for a company that doesn’t view me as a person.
On other jobs, I took years figuring out who I was. I spent years on Catalina being a custodian. I worked at a marine science camp for kids. Kids destroy everything! There was a lot of cleaning and fixing. Island life was calm, but nothing happens. Time just stops. Suddenly I’m 27, 28, not knowing what to do with my life, so I said: “I’m going back to school.” But the science camp is how I got introduced to this field. There were always guys working in the rafters and it seemed like interesting work. I’d ask them what they were up to, they’d say they had an issue and had to find and fix it. It piqued my interest. And then they told me how much they get paid.
What one bit of advice would you give to current and future Cypress College students?
This might sound funny, but: Don’t let failure stop you. If you have to keep failing and get it right, each time you’re one step closer to getting it. I’d just say, have a good outlook on failure. Fail in the right direction – if you’re going to fall, fall forward. I’ve failed a lot in my life. That’s what I’d say to younger guys – if you fail, take it again. Every expert I’ve met says the same thing, I’ve fallen down and I just get back up again. That’s life. You truly fail when you give up and stop completely.