Men’s Soccer Alums Establish Scholarship To Honor Former Coach

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – It didn't take long for Sharif Siddiqui (TPR 00) to realize he wanted to give back to Carnegie Mellon. During Siddiqui's senior year, the former men's soccer player began thinking about ways he could thank the university for the opportunities he received as a student and athlete.
    
This spring, Siddiqui and fellow men's soccer alums Tommy Seier (DC '01) and Ben Kartzman (DC and HCII (CS) '00) followed through on their ambition and established the Nick Gaudioso Leadership Scholarship. Gaudioso was the head men's soccer coach at Carnegie Mellon from 1981-2007.
    
"During college, we obviously had a great experience. I think if we were to do it all over again, we wouldn't go to any other school," Siddiqui said. "As we were finishing our senior year, a lot of the guys discussed ways we could give back to the school. At the time, we didn't have the financial means, but fortunately as our careers have progressed, we have the means to give back."
    
For Siddiqui, who has been an annual supporter of the athletics program, the idea to recognize Gaudioso was a no-brainer.
    
"Coach Gaudioso had a tremendous impact on all of the students in the program and really dedicated his life to the soccer team when he was there," Siddiqui said. "He was instrumental in bringing us all to the school and taught us a lot of great values."
    
The scholarship will be a four-year award to an incoming freshman at Carnegie Mellon. Per NCAA bylaws, athletic ability will not be a factor in determining recipients of the scholarship. Siddiqui hopes that the money he, Seier and Kartzman contributed is just a start for the fund, which is a part of the Endowed Scholarship Trustee Challenge.
    
"The goal is to get more soccer alums to donate in Nick's name and grow the size of the scholarship," Siddiqui said. "It would be great to fund multiple students."
    
Siddiqui has spent the past five years working at Citadel, a Chicago-based hedge fund. Now residing in New York, he spent a year in Alaska with AmeriCorps and attended business school at Northwestern University.
    
"I had such a positive experience in college and made so many great friends there," Siddiqui said. "Carnegie Mellon really changed my life in so many ways. I feel such a sense of gratitude for having gone to that school."
    
Seier also feels that sense of gratitude and was thrilled to be in position to give back to the institution he holds so dear.
    
"More or less, it was an easy way to give back. Nobody had created something in Nick's honor, so we put it together that way," Seier said.
    
Seier lives in New York and also works for a hedge fund, Signpost Capital. He is grateful for the opportunity to have been part of the men's soccer program at Carnegie Mellon.
    
"It turned into a family. We forged bonds that obviously lasted throughout our college careers and developed friendships for life," Seier said.
    
Kartzman, who founded and serves as CEO of New York City-based Spongecell, credits Gaudioso and Carnegie Mellon for helping him find success in the business world.

"Nick always trusted us to make the best decisions for ourselves as it related to our academics and always supported us in putting school first," Kartzman said.  "He always reminded us to make the most of every minute we had together because he knew how great it was to be in that environment. It's no coincidence that some of my best friends in life are the guys I played soccer with during my time at Carnegie Mellon.  Nick fostered that culture for generations of student-athletes and we're humbled to have the opportunity to honor him in this small way."