Mark Neustadter Shares the Value of His Degree

 

When he was in high school, Mark Neustadter '79 surfed the pier at New York Avenue in Atlantic City and his older friends who went to Stockton College would wave to him from the Mayflower Hotel on the Boardwalk. Stockton's first classes were held in the hotel while construction was still underway in Galloway.  

Shortly after, Neustadter became an Osprey and began studying business and photography. "Stockton was a good fit for me. As I got into it, my experience got better and better," he recalled.  

Neustadter worked as a manufacturer’s sales representative in the action sports market and is now a global real estate advisor based in Margate.  

The value of his degree first became evident when he was interviewing for a job with Rip Curl. Neustadter had the surf skills and style and was versed in surf photography, but it was his degree that set him apart and landed him the job. He still remembers the interviewer telling him how much they valued a college degree.  

Neustadter was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 2024. In 2017, he was inducted into the New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame.  

One of Neustadter's most vivid memories that he captured as a black and white photo was from a snow day in Atlantic City with offshore winds and a 4-5 foot swell peeling off the jetty not far from the Mayflower Hotel. There was a lone surfer standing on the jetty next to a danger sign watching the waves.  

Neustadter is a photography contributor for the book "I Heard There Were No Waves in New Jersey." 

Story by Susan Allen