Born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts, Justin Snider came to Hamilton with the goal of making an impact on the Colgate community.

“I didn’t think about any of the programs that Colgate had. I didn’t think about any of the majors. All I really thought was how I could see myself here and see myself making it my own,” Snider said.

Shortly after his arrival, Snider joined the Student Dining Committee, determined to be an agent for change, even as a first-year student.

“That’s the place where I felt I could make the biggest difference,” Snider said.

Appointed chair of the Student Dining Committee in his sophomore year, Snider organizes meetings, works with the consultants that come to campus every year and talks to the ad- ministration about future plans in both Colgate dining facilities and downtown dining.

“I’m somebody who loves food and loves to cook. Everything I do is centered around food and everywhere I go is centered around food, so it was a natural progression,” Snider said. “I wanted to do something to fix [the food], so that’s been my mission.”

After playing varsity soccer in high school, Snider wanted to stay active. After some time on the club soccer team, his friends convinced him to try out for Colgate’s Division I cross country and track teams.

“I ran track and cross country through my junior year at Colgate. It was fun [even though] I wasn’t very good, but the coaches gave me an opportunity to give it a try,” Snider said.

Snider is also a leader of the COVE group M&M’s, a mentoring program with Madison Central School. Tasked with helping kids who have behavioral issues, Snider has loved working with the students in attempts to better understand them and their community.

“It’s totally different from any other type of community service I’ve ever done. It’s hard to understand their kind of upbringing, so it’s been cool learning [about] that,” Snider said.

Snider is working towards his double concentration in economics and history.

“I benefit from having taken all the economics classes, but I also think I’ve gained as much for the real world from my history courses as well,” Snider said.

Snider wants the Colgate community to know that he won’t stop trying to make an impact after his four years are over at Colgate.

“I really care about this campus and not only where it is while I’m here, but where it goes when I leave,” Snider said. “Everything I’ve been doing these past four years I’ve been doing to frame that, and that won’t be something I stop thinking about when I leave Colgate.”

Contact Haley Fuller at [email protected].