It’s 5:30 a.m. at Princeton: sunlight peaks over Blair Arch, a fox scurries across Cannon Green, and students sleep peacefully in their dorms. Before the first lecture begins or the dining halls open, Marva Perdriel and Michael Levant Sr. have already begun their work.
Princeton’s two lead custodians have dedicated decades of commitment to the University, celebrating their 30th and 28th years, respectively. Their care and efforts have swept across every corner of the campus, from the quiet stacks of Firestone Library to the buzzing energy of Dillon Gym.
On Oct. 2, National Custodians Day, Princeton celebrated the staff who make campus life possible through appreciation events and posters featuring custodians. For Perdriel and Levant, the day was an opportunity to reflect on their time at the school.
Levant started out working as a diesel mechanic before deciding to leave “turning wrenches” behind. He took an overnight custodial shift at Princeton Medical Center, and eventually joined Building Services at the University.
Twenty-eight years later, Levant now primarily oversees facilities in Dillon Gym and the Class of 1986 Fitness and Wellness Center, balancing custodial work with inventory management, event coordination, and serving as a union representative in the workplace. He has also worked at the Frick Chemistry and Lewis Thomas Laboratories, maintaining and cleaning biotech facilities with stringent standards.
Wearing these many hats, Levant is always juggling various responsibilities. “We [have] to make sure all the dots [are] connected. That keeps me motivated,” he said.
Perdriel’s journey to the University started over thirty years ago when a friend encouraged her to apply for a job at the Engineering Library. While she began at the circulation desk, she eventually moved into Building Services, working across athletics, residential halls, and numerous libraries.
“There’s no place I haven’t been on campus,” she said.
Maintaining a dynamic presence across campus, Perdriel can often be found with a radio and iPad in hand, constantly in communication with other departments and staff.
Outside of Princeton, both Perdriel and Levant dedicate themselves to family and community. Levant is active in his church, and also enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with his grandchildren.
Perdriel also loves spending time with her husband Franco Perdriel, who retired from working at Building Services in 2023. In fact, Perdriel met her husband through a Princeton coworker, and they had their first date at an IHOP in Hamilton, N.J. “It caught me off guard, I didn’t see it coming,“ said Perdriel. “I’m forever grateful for that coworker.”
For both Perdriel and Levant, custodial work at Princeton has always been about the people as much as the buildings.
“The most rewarding part is seeing students graduate,” Levant said. He’s watched students come and go, witnessing their growth while working the Commencement ceremonies.
Perdriel also treasures the bonds she forms with students. She particularly reminisces over her friendship with Elizabeth Gibson ’87, whom she met while Gibson was a graduate student. They bonded while Perdriel worked on the third floor of Firestone Library and are still good friends to this day.
“She felt like a godparent to my sons and daughter, and she was just there for me and my family,” said Perdriel. “That was one of the best things that a Princeton student could do — just be a friend and treat me like a regular person.”
“She was a cheerful face during the depths of graduate school dissertation writing,” said Gibson.
Meanwhile, Gibson helped Perdriel out with her kids. “Given Marva’s work schedule — especially taking on extra shifts during reunions — her boys used to stay at my home several nights a week,” she said.
Perdriel and Levant have also made deeply personal memories at Princeton. Levant recalls taking his late father, then battling cancer, to a Princeton football game.
“We sat in a press box, food and everything. He said it reminded him of us sitting watching Saturday football college games when I was growing up. So that was special for him and me,” said Levant.
“He just grinned like a child at Christmas,” he added.
Perdriel also thinks of her late father, who loved telling people that his daughter worked at Princeton years even before she’d reached her 30th anniversary.
“He said, ‘My daughter’s been there twenty years.’ I said, ‘Daddy, I haven’t even been there that long yet.’ He said, ‘But you will.’ And here I am.”
Over the decades, both have watched Princeton’s infrastructure transform.
“One of the biggest changes is Frick Chemistry, which used to be a parking lot called the Armory. Even right here, behind Dillon Gym and the Whitman dorms, used to be tennis courts,” Levant said.
Amidst all the structural changes, the culture of positivity and inclusion has remained unchanged. “[Students and faculty] always include us,” Perdriel noted. “It’s the camaraderie here that builds relationships between students, staff, and us Building Services employees.”
The University has been working to highlight custodians’ contributions through initiatives such as the OneRespect program, launched in 2017 as a partnership between the One Facilities Committee and the Keller Center’s Tiger Challenge. The program works to address a variety of issues through community-building. Its posters, featuring custodians alongside various facts about them and their personal definitions of “respect,” can be found across campus and are intended to spark interactions between staff and students.
Director of Communication for Facilities Karen Fanning noted that it’s challenging to host a centralized celebration for National Custodians Day, especially with the varying times of custodial shifts. However, individual buildings have hosted their own celebrations, including bagels at the Engineering Quad and signing notes for custodial staff at each residential college.
“There isn’t a singular campus event, but we’re still trying to spread joy throughout the campus,” Fanning said.
Perdriel sees this joy as central to her work. “It’s not just work. It’s people, it’s family, it’s memories. That’s what makes Princeton feel like home,” she said.
Jillian Zhang is a contributing Features writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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