Angel Santiago

Angel Santiago grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Brooklyn, N.Y. He got caught up with the wrong crowds and struggled with addiction. It wasn't until he got his job as a sanitation worker that he was able to turn his life around and keep his mind off his bad habits. After working through September 11th and Hurricane Sandy, Angel is proud to call himself a New Yorker who shows up for his city. Angel has been a sanitation worker for the City of New York for the last twenty-five years, picking up garbage around the East and West Village. Angel never knows what he'll be dealing with when he reports to work. On any given day he may be handling feces, urine, medical waste, or chemicals. He has put his blood, sweat, and tears into the job, even losing part of his finger at one point in his career. Due to the intense physical demands of the job, Angel has developed shoulder, back, and knee problems, as well as an enlarged heart. But despite the toll the job has taken on his body, now more than ever, New Yorkers are depending on him to keep the streets clean and sanitary. He reports to work each and every day with a smile on his face, proud that it is his duty to give New Yorkers a better quality of life. Angel was set to retire this year at the same time as his wife, but when his 91-year old father became a widower and fell ill, Angel moved him into his house. His father suffers from dementia, heart, and prostate problems, and Angel himself is also pre-diabetic. Angel postponed his retirement just to provide for his wife and father. He is a family man at heart and would give the shirt off of his back to help his family.