Class of 2026: Quinn Neary finds direction through campus involvement and service

Name: Quinn Neary

Hometown: Richmond

College: Pamplin College of Business 

Major: Business management consulting and analytics

Plans after graduation: After graduation, Neary will be traveling to China with the Department of Management and Pamplin International Programs to work with students and faculty from the 3+1 program with Xidian University. After that, he plans to join the Peace Corps in Morocco. 

Favorite Hokie memory: “The first football game that I worked with the Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department. I've gone to several games before but showing up in that capacity, hearing the energy from the field, getting to experience Enter Sandman and witness that Hokie Spirit while living up to Ut Prosim is what it's all about in those football games.”

The moment Virginia Tech clicked

Originally, Neary had his eyes set on another university. However, after attending Hokie Focus, that all changed.

“I don't know, something just changed completely. Something just clicked,” said Neary. “After that weekend, Virginia Tech definitely felt like the right place for me. The Pamplin College of Business info sessions hooked me, and I think I actually accepted that night.”

During the spring semester of his first year he joined Delta Sigma Pi, a co-ed professional business fraternity, and the Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department — two organizations that supported finding his sense of belonging on campus. Throughout his remaining time at Virginia Tech, Neary was involved with the Pamplin Global Mentor Program, was a founding member of the Alexander Hamilton Society, served as an undergraduate teaching assistant, and was a member of the Management Advisory Board of Students. 

In addition to his focus on business management consulting and analytics in the Pamplin College of Business, he is also double majoring in national security and foreign affairs with a minor in French from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

“Maybe naive is not the right word when I first got on campus, but I had no idea what to expect or what I really wanted to do with my life or what motivated me,” Neary said. “Getting involved in so many different organizations really helped shape my perspective and it’s something I will carry with me after I graduate.”

A network of support

Through his involvement with various organizations, Neary also attributes much of his success to the mentors and network that he met along the way. 

“Through my involvement with Delta Sigma Pi, I got to work closely with Professor Ron Poff. I was also in his Foundations of Business class,” said Neary, “He's been really helpful in pointing me in the direction that I want to go in. I know that I can call him, text him any time of the day, and he's quick to respond.”

Neary also embraced an entrepreneurial spirit through support by the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs. Through a pitch party competition, he was awarded $1,000 to fund a startup to encourage recycling during Virginia Tech football games. Using the money, he set up recycling cans around Blacksburg to collect aluminum cans. Over two seasons, he collected more than 50,000 cans, which were sold to a recycling center. The proceeds from that were used to invest back into the business to expand his recycling presence on game days. 

A global definition of success

Quinn was also a global mentor in the Pamplin Global Member Program. The program helps international students and exchange students adjust to American and academic life at Virginia Tech. Neary joined the program as a global mentor at the end of his first year. Throughout his time in the program he has supported two German Fulbright Summer Institute cohorts and countless other international students.

“That's been by far the thing that has led me to the path that I'm going down now,” he said. “During the previous cohort I was leading a group of eight mentors and making sure that those 24 Germans had the best experience they could.”

These experiences with international students have significantly shaped his outlook for after Virginia Tech. For Neary, this meant embracing a global perspective. 

“I think success for me changed from maybe pursuing the best starting title or starting salary when I first stepped on campus to making sure that you're pursuing the things that you're really passionate about,” he said.

This meant trying something new after graduation.

“Later this year I'll be leaving to go to Morocco with the Peace Corps as a youth development coordinator,” he said. “I’ll be there for 27 months, and in many ways, the role brings together so much of what I’ve been involved in at Virginia Tech across different spaces. I'm excited to go to Morocco to integrate into a culture that's so different from our own, to use my French skills every day, and then to learn a new language as well.”