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For this month’s Alumni Spotlight, we’re changing things up with a Q&A-style feature, giving Brother Juan Molina the opportunity to share his story in his own words. Juan’s involvement with Florida Nu spans from undergraduate leadership to his continued service to the chapter today. As an undergraduate, Juan served two terms as Chapter President, and today he serves on the Executive Committee of the FIU SigEp Alumni Volunteer Corporation. Most recently, Juan led the effort to completely revamp FIUSigEpAlumni.com, creating a new digital home to help brothers stay connected with the chapter, our Learning Community, upcoming events, and each other.
As Florida Nu approaches its 40th anniversary, we asked Juan to reflect on his undergraduate experience, the lessons he carried into his career, why he returned to serve the chapter, and what keeps the SigEp brotherhood meaningful nearly four decades into Florida Nu’s story. Here is our conversation with Juan, in his own words.
You were very involved with Florida Nu as an undergraduate and served two terms as Chapter President. What are some of the experiences or lessons from that time that have stayed with you throughout your life and career?
Ha! Where do I start? I can write for days about this.
First and foremost, there is no question in my mind that I am the person I am today in large part because of my experiences in the fraternity. So much of that came from the leadership opportunities I had, but just as much came from the incredible guys I had the chance to learn from, work alongside, get to know deeply and, at times, lead.
My two terms as Chapter President were very different from one another, but looking back, they were both incredibly special. I gained so many valuable life lessons, even though I probably wasn’t fully aware of it at the time. That role in particular taught me how to lead from the front, but it also humbled me and showed me the importance of sometimes letting others around you step up and lead alongside you. In other words, it was a profound lesson in realizing that one single person simply can’t do it all. You really do need a cohesive team to push an organization forward.
I also learned the importance of planning and strategy. One very specific lesson on this topic came when we were planning the year. Indulge me for a moment. He probably doesn’t remember this, but I’ll never forget this “lesson,” and it’s one that I have applied over and over throughout my career.
At the time, Pep Proveyer was president, and he walked us through an exercise where he taped these large sheets of paper onto a wall and literally drew out the calendar for the current and following semester. He then very specifically and deliberately broke out all the different types of activities that we needed, or wanted to make sure we had that year: at least two mixers, two philanthropy events, recruitment, Rituals, a larger event, etc. Once we had landed on our “core events,” we took a step back, looked at the calendar holistically, and started plugging in dates where these events might work, how they might overlap or coincide with each other, and so on.
I know this might sound silly, and I know it’s not “rocket science,” but no one had ever done anything like that with me before. It literally blew my mind. It helped shape the way I think about long-term planning and put me on this path of understanding how someone needs to think strategically. You have to be able to step back from all the individual things in front of you and look at how they fit together as a whole. It’s an exercise I’ve used with my own teams throughout my career and one I still think about to this day. Thanks, Pep!
I’ve often heard, and said myself, that the fraternity is a microcosm of the real world, and I can tell you firsthand how true that has been for me. Around that executive table, there was constant negotiation. You learned how to find middle ground, when to stand firm, and when to recognize that you had lost the argument and move forward together anyway. I use those lessons to this day.
More than anything, though, being president taught me how important it is to give a group of people a vision they can believe in and a reason to care. It showed me what can happen when people are truly working toward something together, and the importance of continuing to push forward even when things are difficult. Those are lessons that have stayed with me throughout my career and, frankly, throughout my life.
After graduation, what motivated you to remain involved with FIU SigEp, and what does serving today on the Executive Committee of the Alumni Volunteer Corporation mean to you?
To be honest, after graduation I think what motivated me to stay involved was really just wanting to keep being part of that camaraderie and, in some small way, give back to a chapter that had given me so much. I also wanted to help the guys coming up behind us and hopefully make their experience a little better based on what we had learned, and the walls we had run into.
Like a lot of people, though, life eventually pulled me in other directions. I stepped away for a while and focused pretty heavily on my career. After probably a 10- to 15-year hiatus, some of the guys on the alumni board reached out and asked if I would be interested in getting involved again.
What’s been really special about coming back is how it honestly feels like no time has passed at all, yet so much has changed, etc. It’s incredible to be able to pick right back up where you left off with some of the guys who have stayed involved and there really is something unique about that.
I also think the chapter is in a really great place right now. The undergraduate chapter and the alumni volunteers have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into building a strong foundation, and I am just glad to be able to help and contribute where I can.
You recently took on the project of revamping the FIU SigEp website. What inspired you to tackle the project, and what do you hope the new website will accomplish for our alumni, undergraduates, parents, and prospective members?
What really motivated me to take on the website project was gaining a much deeper appreciation for the incredible amount of work that went into bringing the Learning Community facility to life on campus.
I think having a home on campus is something so many of us dreamed about, both while we were undergraduates and long after we graduated. As I started attending AVC meetings, went to the grand opening, and learned more about everything it really took to make that dream a reality, I was honestly struck by the sheer amount of effort, persistence, and force of will that went into it. Alot of guys would have just given up. It truly is remarkable. Thanks gents for doing this for us all.
One of the conversations we’ve been having, a lot, since the facility opened is that building it was only part of the challenge. Now that it’s up, it has to live on, be supported, and become a lasting part of the chapter’s future. That really stuck with me.
I started thinking about the website in a similar way. I wanted our alumni website to become a single destination where brothers can go to see what’s happening with the chapter, what’s happening at our home on campus, and what events and opportunities are coming up. With the 40th anniversary approaching, it also felt like the right time to make sure our digital presence reflected how special our physical presence has become.
In some small way, I saw the website as a chance to honor the brothers who did the hard work of building this incredible facility by helping create a digital home that all of us can keep coming back to and be proud of.
Having experienced Florida Nu as both an undergraduate leader and now an alumni volunteer, how have you seen the chapter evolve, and what excites you most about where FIU SigEp is today?
Some of my best memories happened while I was a part of the chapter. Having now experienced Florida Nu from multiple sides, one of the things that stands out most to me is just how similar that experience feels across generations.
When I talk to brothers from different eras, it is so clear that many of their best memories happened here too. The world has changed quite a bit since I joined, and the chapter has obviously evolved with it, but that feeling of camaraderie and brotherhood has stayed remarkably consistent. I see it in the guys today. I see how much they enjoy being around each other, how much the experience means to them, and in that sense, not much has really changed. At the same time, almost everything around them has.
To me, that says a lot about what FIU SigEp has been able to build over nearly 40 years. It has been a transformative experience in countless lives, certainly in mine, and it continues to be that same kind of experience for the guys in the chapter today.
One of the things that brings me the most joy is seeing brothers I was in the chapter with, or guys I looked up to when I was younger, now have their own sons become part of Florida Nu. There is something incredibly special about that.
As we approach our 40th anniversary, I am really excited to see what the next evolution of the chapter looks like. My hope is that we all continue to rally around the chapter and around each other to make sure this remains something that truly lasts a lifetime. And maybe one day, the guys who are undergraduates today will get to watch their own sons walk through the same doors.
As Florida Nu approaches its 40th anniversary, what would you say to brothers who may have lost touch with the chapter or haven't been involved recently about reconnecting with FIU SigEp?
I had a blast at the 30th anniversary, so I’m really looking forward to celebrating the 40th. Check out fiusigepalumni.com for more info. HA! <>
For any brothers who have lost touch with the chapter or just haven’t been involved recently, I would simply say: reach out. Connect with us on social. Call a brother you haven’t talked to in a while. Take a drive by FIU if you can. Every time I go back to campus, I am blown away by how much it has changed over the years.
But most importantly, swing by the facility. Come home. Walk the halls. Take it all in.
Because whether you realize it or not, you had a role in building the legacy that made all of this possible. The chapter today is part of something all of us helped shape in one way or another, and the 40th anniversary feels like the perfect reason to reconnect with the chapter, and with each other.
Until next time boys. Un abrazo!
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