Meet Jesus Cayado – The newest IHQ staffer focused on Pilam expansion
Jesus Cayado ’23 (Florida State) is our newest Coordinator of Chapter Services and Expansion and is determined to do his part to see Pilam grow and expand to new campuses across the country.
Expansion at Florida International University (FIU)
Jesus’ first challenge is the expansion to Florida International University, the third-largest university in Florida. Pilam is already on campus and hard at work, and Jesus said he’s learning a lot from fellow staffers Brian Moore and Mason Felton.
Having no history at the school Pilam will be starting from scratch, but Jesus embraces the challenge. Jesus was born and raised in Miami, and is fluent in Spanish, so he feels like this is his home turf. He’d really like to see Pilam continue to grow in Florida.
What brought Jesus to Pilam
As a Covid-era college student, Jesus spent his first two years remotely at a junior college before transferring to FSU. When he went to his first Pilam tailgate with a friend, he met a few brothers who made him feel like he fit in. He said, “I didn’t even know what rush was, but joining was the best decision I made in my life.”
He quickly grew to become a leader in the chapter and helped grow the newly refounded chapter from 40 to 120 brothers. Jesus became Rex in senior year and in spite of the size of the chapter he tried to incorporate everyone and have a connection with every single brother. Through his challenges as Rex, he credited his brothers for “the way they believed in me, took a chance on me, and built me up.”
How the Leadership Institute shaped his future
Last year, as the Rex of a large and historically successfully chapter, Jesus attended the Pilam Leadership Institute a bit skeptical about what he could learn, but he left with a different perspective and a desire to serve Pi Lambda Phi.
Jesus said he appreciated hearing the perspective of other chapters, saying, “I understood a lot more of what it is to be in a fraternity. When you see all the different personalities come into one room and understand that they’re here for a bigger reason, you leave there feeling fulfilled, like you know you learned something.”
He was also inspired by a facilitator who he befriended saying, “we were from different chapters, but he took the time to get to know me and stayed in touch. He really helped me through my post-graduation period of not knowing what do do.”
What’s Next?
Jesus graduated with a degree in Criminology and a minor in Psychology. After his work with Pilam, he hopes to join a branch of federal law enforcement. In his spare time, he’s picked up golf and enjoys spending time with his girlfriend.