Next up on our Alumni Spotlight Series: Athlete Edition is 1995 graduate and Gordon College Men's Soccer (GCMS) alum Mark Modzeleski. During his time at Gordon, Modzeleski and his teammates won the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship in 1993. Following the family tradition, Mark and his wife Amy (Snyder) Modzeleski's ('95) two sons Tyler ('18) and Ryan ('22) have also donned the Fighting Scot jersey at Gordon. Tyler graduated in 2018 with a double major in finance and business administration after a four-year career with GCMS. Ryan is currently a junior on the squad majoring in recreation, sport and wellness and finance.
Learn more about Mark's time at Gordon as well as where life has taken him since.
Q. Describe your current job and career path.
A. Currently, I am the president and founder of Legacy Wealth Advisors of N.Y. where my primary responsibilities include advising and guiding small businesses and families. My particular focus is on the agricultural community. Upon graduation from the College in 1995, I began my career at a small firm in Boston where I worked with individuals and groups teaching them how to become more effective communicators and team members through outdoor adventure and education. Three years later in '98, my family and I moved to Central N.Y. where I worked for the family milk trucking business. In 1999, I decided to follow my passion for helping families and small businesses by becoming a financial advisor with New England Financial. Over the years, I was promoted to Senior Managing Associate, managed a team of 20+ advisors, drove the firm's Case Design Unit, helping advisors design specific solutions to help families and business achieve their goals, as well as implemented a formal financial planning program. Over the last several years, I have worked in management consulting. Most of my time is spent consulting with families, businesses, and associations to better organize team workflow and company culture.
Q. What was your major(s) at Gordon and how has that helped you in your career?
A. Psychology. Interestingly, while the degree was important, faith, family, and perspective around working and partnering with others has helped me most in my career. Being able to meet people where they are and influence positive change is by far the greatest lesson.
Q. How did your time as a student-athlete at Gordon prepare you for your life/career?
A. Teamwork and counting on others. You can't win without others; we win as a team and lose as one. Competitiveness brings out our best- Soccer helped me focus on reaching my potential.
Q. Who had the biggest influence on you during your career as a student-athlete at Gordon?
A. The guys, working with a supportive group on the field and in the woods (La Vida) helped in my career- It provided/demanded patience, purpose and perspective on life, faith, business, sport etc.
Q. What are one or two of your proudest professional or personal accomplishments that occurred after graduating from Gordon?
A. I'm proud of my boys, my wife, and the people I partner with every day- without them I couldn't have accomplished half of what I have so far. I have been to England with youth soccer teams every year for a decade and I have worked alongside several brilliant minds in my business. Being able to take risks without the fear of failing is by far the most impactful lesson that sport provides.
Q. What is it like watching your sons play on the same field that you played on?
A. It was amazing, humbling joyful, stressful all at once – watching them both play a role in winning a conference title together was certainly a highlight for Amy and I!
Q. What advice would you give to current student-athletes who want to make the most out of their experience at Gordon?
A. Take chances and don't be afraid to fail, we all do. Success comes from lessons learned from failure. Positivity, perspective and relationships with people, master those skills and the sky is the limit. Successful people make a habit of doing things others aren't willing to do. Find a purpose and choose to live a happy joyful life!
If you would like to nominate a former teammate, friend, family member, or even yourself, we want to hear from you! All you need to do is fill out a brief questionnaire below. You can find the Alumni Spotlight: Athlete Edition Questionnaire HERE.
