Home Cafe: Sanford/Heathrow
This week's spotlight was on Cayman Geraldino.
This week, we talked to Cayman Geraldino a barista from our Heathrow/Lake Mary location. Cayman moved down to Florida from Conneticut a few ears ago and continued his schooling as an undergrad at Rollins College. He has been with Foxtail for a little over a year and hope to move up into our Shift Lead position while continuing towards a degree in Psychology.
Growing up, Cayman's favorite show to watch was "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters," an animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon in the 90's. "Real Monsters" is about a few monster students who attend school beneath a city dump and learn to frighten humans. Cayman said he loved the "obscurity" of the show and that "It was funny, but it was also very surreal and very whimsical; also, just weird." Cayman also mentioned other, similar 90's cartoons he liked, such as "Rocko's Modern Life" and "Rugrats."
Cayman is fairly new to the coffee scene. When he was hired as a barista a year ago, it was his first job in the coffee industry. He was surprised that Chelsea, his operations manager, took a chance on him. After all, he admitted to originally wanting to be a barista as an "aesthetic" choice. That said, he is loved by his team and Chelsea who stated, "[Cayman] always asks people about their lives and is very open and wants to get to know everyone around him. He has such a calm aura about him and makes his coworkers and regulars feel unique and valued. [He's] also a hard worker and very detail oriented!"
Upon completion of his degree, Cayman hopes to be a mental health counselor for queer youths. He is currently involved with Zebra Coalition and The Center, and he wants to provide his services in women's shelters. Growing up as a queer person he faced struggles with gender expression, gender identity, and sexuality that led him to recognize the need to help young people who are also struggling with these issues. He also has a deep respect for women, explaining that "Those who were around me, protected me and inspired me were always women. From my mother to the little girls that would stand up for me: women are tough, protective, nurturing and just amazing. "His passion also extends to minorities: As a Dominican person, Cayman is adamant about equal treatment for all people. He hopes to help minorities by giving them tools to empower themselves, gain opportunities, and further advocate for equality.
When asked, "If you could spend a day with any one person, who would it be?" he pondered a moment but settled on Michelle Obama. Cayman said, "She is just peak amazement to me. She is so eloquent, she is so educated she's so... it's a cliche, saying it, but she's for the people, and she means it, she's down to fight for us. Even just her poise and how she carries herself, I would love to just either hang out with her or pick her brain for a little bit." Maybe one day he will get the chance to. Cayman is another one of our incredible baristas who we are excited to have growing with us. His incredible personality and vibrant attitude lift up everyone around him; we're proud to have people like him on our team.