Tiffany Joseph commutes by car for an hour and twenty minutes every day to the SJVC campus in Rancho Mirage, CA to attend the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVAC-R) program. Being a DIY (Do It Yourself) girl, as she defines herself, at first Tiffany wanted to be a car mechanic. She grew up inspired by the character Ms. Vito in the 1992 film MY COUSIN VINNY, played by Marisa Tomei, who, because of her smarts and her deep knowledge of cars in the end wins the day in court against a smooth talking defense lawyer. But while she was working in grocery stores, she became curious and then fascinated with the way refrigeration worked. Someone recommended she look into HVAC. SJVC was one of the few colleges that offered the study of Refrigeration along with an HVAC education, so she enrolled. This is her story.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I live in Idlewild, California where I grew up and where I’m living now with my sister. I’m 27.
When did you become interested in HVAC?
At first, I was going to be a car mechanic; I don’t want someone charging me to fix something when I can fix it on my own. I was inspired at first by Ms. Vito in MY COUSIN VINNY. Do you know that movie? She was the car mechanic and she solved the whole movie. I thought she was so cool to have that much knowledge! I’d never seen a woman being so interested in something like that.
Then I worked in a grocery store and saw the inside of those large refrigerators, like at Trader Joe’s, and I got curious. I heard them talking about how to fix the refrigerator and became fascinated with the mechanical perspective. I listened as they talked in detail about the deep working inside it and putting it all together. I know it sounds so nerdy but the way it works is really interesting and it’s fun to learn about.
What would you say to those women who have the curiosity and intelligence, and yet are hesitating because the industry right now is still dominated by men?
They should know it’s the instructor who guides the class and the environment for students to help each other. You’ve still got to want to do it for yourself though. I was kind of nervous at first, but the instructor gives you confidence. Since you are outnumbered by men, it’s really up to the woman in the situation to take it as it is and figure it out.
Who was your instructor?
I loved having “Mr. K.” (Mr. Leonard Kimbler). He’s so cool; and so easy to learn from. You can be as dumb as a bag of hammers, ask any stupid question and to him no question is stupid. If you’re not speaking up in class, he’ll direct questions to you to get you to learn. And he’ll repeat it if you didn’t get it the first time. He’s very patient and eventually we all help each other. It’s a joy to be with him every day through this course.
High praise!
Yeah, SJVC is hiring the right people to bring in women if they want to help them master the craft. But it also depends on the woman; they have to have the desire to learn. It depends on how much you really want it yourself. I’m gonna get this done because it’s what I want to do. The great thing now is that women have permission to pursue this career. Now they can.
The movie scene that inspired it all: