Constantine Kotsikonas
Boston University, Questrom School of Business
“I am bouncing off the walls with energy, and I love people and humanity.”
Fun fact about yourself: I can play 6 different instruments!
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
High School: Boston Latin School
Major: Business Administration
Minor: None / Questrom Honors Program
Favorite Business Course: International Finance FE427 with Justen Carter
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
Graduated Summa cum Laude from the Questrom Honors Program, Dean’s List all semesters.
Activities: Skiing with BU Ski Club, Jazz trombone with several BU jazz ensembles including the BU Big Band, BU Financial Modeling Club
Leadership: President of BU Questrom Honors Program, Lead Trombone in BU Jazz Big Band
Where have you interned during your college career?
Carter’s: Corporate Finance Intern in Atlanta Georgie
Tigbourne Capital Ltd: Private Equity Analyst Intern based in St Louis Missouri
Where will you be working after graduation? Going to Graduate School: Master in Management at INSEAD based in Fontainebleau, France
Who is your favorite business professor? Jevin Eagle. Jevin was my professor for the introductory Business and Ethics course SM131 and has since been a close friend and mentor to me. When I transferred into Questrom my sophomore year fall, he was the very first professor I had. Through his counseling in office hours and outside of class, he taught me the principles of how to be an effective leader while holding your religious morals and ethics close to you. He has since been a spiritual advisor to me, even as I am a Christian and he is a Jew and has been a very close friend. Jevin has connected me with numerous industry professionals, helped me with my job and internship searches, and wrote me several recommendation letters for graduate school. He is the reason I am so humble and kind when talking to others, and his influence is the backbone of who I am today.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The biggest lesson I have learned from studying business was that in the pursuit of a passion and a purpose, success and money will follow. Numerous times, I was enlightened with different experiences and lessons throughout business school. Although each was different, they all showed me a common underpinning of a successful businessperson. Anyone who ever made a positive impact for society – whether it was helping a community, being part of a large-scale business decision, or even leading a team of colleagues through a tough project – all had this principle instilled within them. Each one of those leaders was chasing a passion and a dream, rather than a check and an award. Each individual was chasing something greater than themselves and making a lasting impact while they did so. Business School teaches the principles of how to be an effective business leader, and this lesson is truly the most impactful principle I have come across while studying this subject.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? For any student looking to major in a business-related field, I would tell that person to speak up and advocate for themselves, inside the classroom and out. In business you learn the principles of how our economy and companies are running, how everything ties together, and how the world truly runs. More importantly, however, we are learning how to be responsible businesspeople and advocating for yourself is the best way to secure the opportunities you desire and chase your business dreams.
Business school is extremely competitive, jobs and internships are difficult to secure, and the classrooms are strikingly competitive. For any student wishing to major in business, they need to learn to advocate for themselves, whether it is pitching themselves wisely in an interview, justifying their position in a group project, or simply advocating for a better grade in a class because they felt the grading scale was unfair. Every effort goes an exceptionally long way, and success in this field is built with those small successes over many years.
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? Looking back, I have always reminisced about the classes and events where I put my true self and personality out there. Business is not an introverted profession. Looking back, I can say I wish I had the confidence to meet with more people, make more connections, try different experiences, and see new sides of things. For the students I saw put their true selves out there early, they always developed a level of charisma that sparked their success in and out of the classroom. Those students were having the most fun, talking to a diverse set of professionals, and always securing opportunities for themselves. As scary as it is to put yourself out there, there is a truly supportive environment in any business school, and everyone is just looking for people to chat to and make genuine connections with.
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? At Questrom, we were really encouraged to use AI in our research, especially for uncovering new sources and connection citations from one to the next. AI is an immensely powerful reasoning tool, and it has helped me conduct deep research into topics that would have otherwise taken me months to read more than fifty articles and books. AI can be an amazing tool to uncover broad trends of information through many citations and can help synthesize complex information at an elevated level very quickly.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of my performance in jazz over the last few years at BU. Playing in many different bands, connecting on a deeper level with many different musicians, has been the spark that has kept me going. The surreal feeling of jamming with everyone and making music has inspired me to keep going through all the difficult and stressful times in college. I am proud to have kept playing at a high level for BU throughout these years of heavily focusing on my career and schooling because it has shown me that I can do well for myself without sacrificing the hobbies I genuinely love.
Which classmate do you most admire? I admire Sarah Chen the most for her dedication to her work and her frivolous passion for leadership in business. Ever since I first chatted with her at the beginning of the Questrom Honors Program, I could tell she had a fire burning in her that motivated her to put her best and most confident self out there. Through successful internships, academic successes, and lots of extracurricular leadership I have seen Sarah grow into a confident young leader who inspires everybody around her. For me, the way she takes charge of every situation and does not hold back on giving her opinion inspires me to achieve the same level of confidence with the beliefs and perspectives I believe are right and valuable in any situation. She has been an amazing figure to admire, and her success at Questrom proves that she is a strong personality that many others should look to model their leadership after.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My grandfather, Vagelis Chatzimanika, is the person I need to thank for my success. Ever since I was a newborn boy he believed in me and saw something in me others did not. He was always the one setting my head straight, telling me to focus on school and telling me when the right time to have fun was. He owns personal story of his struggles in Greece; how he made enough money to support his family has been such an inspiration to my work ethic and my values. I became the man I am today through his influence, and every achievement I receive I always honor in his name, for his legacy and for his love for me.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The first item on my professional bucket list is to work in global strategy consulting after finishing my master’s degree. I hope to travel all across Europe, the Middle East and Asia and work on strategy projects for businesses, governments, and NGOs, while learning and embracing the culture and business practices of those regions. Secondly, it has always been a lifelong dream of mine to create or join a startup focusing on either green environmental technology, space-age travel, or asteroid mining. I am obsessed with modern humanity-saving technology and truly aspire to make a difference for humanity through working on these planet saving technologies that will give humans the resources to survive long term as a species.
What made Constantine such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?
“I am honored to nominate Constantine Kotsikonas as one of Questrom’s “Best & Brightest Business Majors of 2026.” As both a professor of business and a university leader, I have had the privilege of knowing many outstanding students—yet Constantine stands out as truly exceptional for his intellect, integrity, and human depth.
In my SM131 course, Constantine quickly distinguished himself through his curiosity, disciplined thinking, and capacity to link strategy to values. His insight that “strategy is only as strong as the human systems that drive it” captures how he unites analytical precision with ethical reflection. He consistently enriched our classroom with questions that challenged peers to see business as both a rational and moral enterprise.
Constantine’s impact extends far beyond academics. A first-generation American and the son of immigrants, he brings a deep appreciation for cultural diversity and global perspective to every community he joins. He is also an accomplished jazz musician—a creative outlet that mirrors his intellectual flexibility and collaborative spirit. Whether in group projects, interfaith dialogues at BU Hillel, or leadership roles within the Honors Program, Constantine exemplifies values-driven leadership: he listens deeply, builds consensus, and lifts others’ voices.
He now seeks to pursue graduate study in business and economics in Europe—an ideal next step for someone whose aspirations are as globally minded as they are principled. Constantine embodies the best of Questrom: academic excellence, creativity, character, and a genuine passion for making business a force for unity and understanding. I recommend him wholeheartedly and without reservation.”
Rabbi Jevin S. Eagle
University Chaplain & CEO of BU Hillel
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