When Pace senior Kirk Pineda sits in Mortola Library’s first floor, he knows why people are staring at him

It’s because, on this Tuesday, Pineda decided to wear high socks going up to his knees leading to his gym shorts, Tiger Schulmann’s t-shirt, and a beanie to top it off; not to mention the hot sauce- and honey mustard-drenched chicken fingers he was eating.

But even though Pineda is catching stares, he couldn’t care less.

Pineda has never been one to care about his appearance. He dresses in outlandish clothing and eats strange food because he knows his actions speak louder than his appearance.

“I am a strong believer that my work is what dictates how good I am at something,” said Pineda, as he takes a bite out of his mustard covered chicken nugget. “The work I do on campus matters much more than my appearance.”

The work that Pineda is referring to is being the President of Pi Lambda Phi (PLP) fraternity, which Pineda founded in spring 2015.

Instead of doing the stereotypical keg stands and mixer parties, however, PLP raises money to promote racial and social justice and Pineda would not want it any other way.

“The reason why I wanted to start this fraternity is because of the philanthropy and the elimination of prejudice,” Pineda said. “While that may seem like a very high goal to reach, there is a beauty in trying and along the way I have made some great relationships with some great people.”

Building strong relationships was something Pineda was never good at growing up. Pineda always had a hard time fitting in and making friends, he would commonly refer to himself as a “social butterfly.”

“I never really thought I would fit in from elementary school to high school,” Pineda said. “It definitely was not a happy feeling. I kind of got used to the fact that I did not have any friends. I grew sort of numb to it.”

He knew that a change was in order upon enrollment at Pace. So, he wanted to start an organization that shared his love for fighting for justice, thus the inception of PLP, which he couldn’t be prouder of the work that his fraternity has accomplished as he feels that they are one of the more productive fraternities on campus.

“We are not focused on a particular charity like we do not focus on AIDS/HIV awareness,” Pineda said. “We raise money for a foundation called the Elimination of Prejudice that promotes having a better understanding of people of different culture, religious, and social backgrounds.”

Pineda tries to recruit other students to join before his time at Pace is over. He hopes to inspire a generation that does not care if they are wearing sandals in the middle of winter or putting mayonnaise on a hot dog. If he does that he will have succeeded.