Even before arriving at Amherst, Schneider had already accumulated enviable life experience. The summer before his freshman year, he travelled across the country with his best friend from home "working for different state Public Interest Research Group [PIRG] offices as environmental canvassers." Over eight weeks, Schneider and his friend Paul drove for 24 straight hours at times, stopping to sleep on other people's couches. The pair met numerous interesting characters on their trip, including a woman in Crockett, Calif., who offered them her cabin in a national forest,
Last year, Schneider joined Morgan Worth '03 and Andy Reed '03 to start the public art club, Vincent's Ear, whose projects have included human sculptures and plans to bring artist Mikya Matsuda to campus. "Our club is one way to tear through the Abercrombie and Fitch skin of collective identity and examine the beating human heart that lies within," he said.
Schneider has also taught at Summerbridge-Cambridge-a summer teaching program in inner cities, gone to Nicaragua to help create a tree
nursery, and he plans to travel to Costa Rica this summer to build latrines for disease prevention. Next Tuesday and Thursday, he will live in the Eli Marsh gallery for his Social Sculpture class.
At college, Schneider quickly became involved in several activities. He took English 6: "Reading, Writing, and Teaching" during his first semester; this immediately taught him
valuable lessons about being an Amherst student. "I think education comes outside of the classroom
more than in it," he said. "[English 6] taught me the importance of self-education and direction." Now, Schneider works as a tutor in the Writing Center, and is a resident counselor on the fourth floor of South. "I love the people on my hall; working with them is so much fun," he said.