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The woman responsible for keeping the home of the Wildcats clean recently took home a special helmet of her own, honored for decades of dedicated service.
Lead custodian Terri Navejas, 62, affectionately referred to as “Big Mama” by students, was presented the Wildcat Helmet Award for 40 years with Elgin Independent School District. Navejas worked across multiple campuses before settling at Elgin High, where football coaches Rich Lucero and Chris Mueller surprised her with the recognition.
“I had no idea that the coaches were going to do that. They presented me with the helmet and I pretty much just broke down and started crying,” Navejas said. “I couldn’t believe it, you know — I’m a custodian. I didn’t think that they would present something like that to me.”
Navejas began her career with the district as a young mother of four, initially taking up what she thought would be a temporary role, she said. Her ceremony reflected a legacy spent building lasting relationships with generations of Wildcats.
She expressed love for the students, who often return later in life to introduce Navejas to children — and grandchildren — of their own.
“The kids are therapy for me,” Navejas said. “Every year I kept saying, ‘OK, I’m probably just going to stay here and finish out the year,’ and before I knew it, it was 20, 30, 40 years and I’m still here going strong.”
Navejas said she hopes her time in Elgin leaves behind positivity and a good story, and that she is thought of as a friend and trusted presence for the city’s youth.
“I want to be remembered as somebody that you could go to, somebody that you could confide in,” Navejas said. “I want to be remembered as just being a good person.”
