Without Justin Neidig, the student body would have to work a little harder to get things done.

Neidig, 22, has served on the senate rules and finance committees of the Student Association. He has been the chairman of the Joint Elections Committee, an independent body that administers student elections. He has also served as the fundraising chair of the senior class gift committee and been an active member in the College Republicans. But his proudest accomplishment, he said, has been serving as vice president of his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha.

“I always strive to be a student leader. I like to give a voice and to articulate a position at a time when others can’t or are unable to do so,” Neidig said. “For most students, it’s especially hard to articulate views and deal with the administration and mobilize. I like being the person they can go to for help.”

When Neidig first got involved in student organizations four years ago, he said he was a lot more idealistic than he is today, but he still upholds the principles that he has had since the beginning. Neidig said he has learned that along with practicality comes disappointment. Sometimes he has to tell students that when they want to pursue something through the administration, they may not have a case and should probably drop it or try something else.

“It’s always hard to say that to someone, simply because I really want to help them, and they feel that what they’re trying to do is important,” he said.

Going hand in hand with his desire to represent the little guy is his passion for law. Next fall, Neidig plans to attend the College of William & Mary School of Law. He said he would like to practice corporate law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions.

“It sounds so interesting to me. After all, I’m an accounting major,” Neidig said with a smile.

Neidig said he plans to take what he has learned as a student leader with him on his life journey. He has been able have both a bird’s-eye view and snail’s-eye view of the college experience. He has seen the student perspective, the Student Association’s perspective and the administration’s perspective, and he said that exposure to a diversity of opinions has refined his own viewpoint.

Neidig said, “I’ve been humbled by the experience and learned that everyone values his or her position just as much as the next, but at the end of the day, everyone has to come together to form a solution.”