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Mark "Marcos" Zoccali ’13 (International Business): Successful Alumni Spotlight
Mark Zoccali’13 visited Roberts in the winter of his senior year of high-school. Roberts was the only college he wanted to attend. “The community immediately felt like family and the campus like home”, he said.
Zoccali works for Story International as a volunteer coordinator in Guatemala where he is known as “Marcos.” “God is truly doing abundantly more than I could have ever asked for or imagined for my life in Huehuetenango, Guatemala”, he said. Moving from Rochester to work in a foreign country was a huge move but he thought it was a short-term career move. After serving in his role for over two years, he has shifted his focus from looking at his life in Guatemala as an adventure to something lasting much longer. It is a story of imagining one thing and realizing another.
Fully consumed in his role, Guatemala has become his calling and more importantly his home. There are 85 children living at Fundación Salvación. Zoccali considers the children and his Story International co-workers his family. Life is constantly filled with unknowns and Marcos is far from having all the comforts of his Rochester home. The comfort in Guatemala is God; who has proven faithful every step along the way.
At Roberts Zoccali found his faith and gained a family. “I learned valuable skills, and discovered passions - all of which have shaped my life tremendously,” he said. In reflection, his career path was shaped by his time at Roberts. During his four undergraduate years, Roberts ignited a desire to serve others less fortunate in other countries. He experienced those opportunities as a student.
Zoccali was especially impacted by Professor Carrie Starr and her husband, Dr. Ervin Starr. He credits both for having a tremendous impact on his undergraduate career and they continue to stay in touch to this day. Coming from a single-parent home, he shared that he had the support of his father and that it was a huge blessing when Carrie came into his life. “She was not only an incredible professor and mentor, but, she also became a motherly figure in my life,” said Zoccali. “They brought me to their church, invited me into their home, treated me like a part of their family, and encouraged me to leave the country for the very first time.” With coaching from Carrie and Erv, Marcos discovered his talents, the qualities he had to offer and learned to become a more confident individual and leader.
Zoccali offers this advice for current students considering working abroad, “don’t worry about being "qualified" or "prepared" in every single way.” It is impossible to be prepared for everything and everyone you will encounter. It’s ok to make mistakes as you learn from them and keep moving forward. Just as God is shaping the lives of each child in Guatemala, He uses Zoccali as an instrument to make a difference whether that is small or big.
Many of his favorite memories and experiences were made with the Enactus team. “We did everything together,” he said. One night they were exploring Rochester and stumbled upon a coffee shop in the Village of Spencerport, Cafe Macchiato. They were about to close, but invited the students in. That night, the cafe stayed open two hours later than usual. The Enactus team members made friends with the owners and spent the next two years visiting their coffee shop on weekly basis. The owners hosted a bible study for the students, taught them the basics of making coffee drinks, and invited the students into their home. “We were blessed even more when they helped us raise over $5,000 for an orphanage in Guatemala City”, shared Marcos.
Marcos hopes that “Roberts grows into New York's, and even the country's, leading Christian College. And as Roberts continues to grow, my hope is that professors will still provide purposeful guidance and caring for individual students. In the end, these students will go and serve others and help change the world.”