Miguel Diaz| Facility Engineering
23 Years with Confluence Health
For Miguel, it’s all about connection. A connection to his family, friends, the land, and all the parts of life that make it worth living. Community and that connection is what brings it all together.
Growing up in a town with unreliable electricity where sometimes cooking had to be done over a fire, Miguel nevertheless had a childhood filled with fun and exploration, along with developing a deep appreciation and respect for his mother and the self-reliance and work ethic she lived out each day. Despite not having a lot and losing his father at a young age, Miguel’s mother made sure never let him and his siblings ever go hungry or ever doubt they were loved. Though he wishes his father was still around, Miguel wouldn’t trade a thing about how he grew up since it taught him the importance of family, friends, and joy in your work.
Starting out in the fruit industry where he prided himself on being able pick in a single day as much as two workers, Miguel later decided to pursue a different path and ended up working in housekeeping for Confluence Health Hospital | Central Campus. He enjoyed the work and found himself constantly appreciating the hard work doctors and other medical staff put in to care for patients, knowing he played a part in that effort and taking pride in never missing a day of work so he could be there for his coworkers. Eventually he found himself in the Confluence Health engineering department, where he and his team keep the organization running so others can focus on the important care of patients.
It's this connection to those around him that forms the core of what matters to Miguel. A father himself now, Miguel is proud of his three daughters as they are finding their way by building lives that make them happy, including his oldest who is following him into the healthcare industry as a soon-to-graduate nurse. Along with his wife of 33 years, Miguel treasures the time with friends and family, especially during camping trips where everyone can come together to hike, hunt, cook, and laugh all evening. As someone with a green thumb who can get anything to grow, he loves these chances to be out in the local land, connecting with the natural world that he knows and loves. He treasures these times with the land and his loved ones and, when someone is unable to join a gathering, he always feels as if part of himself is missing since that community is who he is. Knowing tomorrow is never certain, Miguel tries to live and enjoy each day that he can by connecting with his family, friends, coworkers, and all those that make up the fabric of his life.