The decision to attend college didn’t come easy for Constantinos Nikiforou.
“I never really liked school,” said Nikiforou, a former athlete who, as a teenager, preferred the rugby field over a classroom. “It just [wasn’t] my cup of tea.”
But family influences and a back injury that sidelined his chances of playing rugby professionally persuaded the 25-year-old native of Cyprus, Greece, to enroll in Perimeter College at Georgia State University.
Nikiforou, who studied international business and world languages and speaks Greek, French, Spanish and English, has no regrets.
On May 11, he will receive his associate degree from Perimeter College.
“I am very excited to have reached this far academically, and I am feeling optimistic about the future,” he said.
As a Perimeter student, Nikiforou enjoyed classes, saying his college experience has helped him to think more critically about the world.
He is surrounded by loved ones who value higher education. His parents—both native Europeans—met while attending City College in New York. An older sister has a master’s degree, and another is pursuing her associate from Perimeter College on Georgia State’s Dunwoody Campus, where Nikiforou attended.
Also, his wife Juliana is a medical doctor who was educated and trained in South America and is now working to become licensed in the United States.
“I now have a little competition going with my wife,” Nikiforou said jokingly. “My wife and family are what motivated me to enter college.”
After graduating from Perimeter, Nikiforou will transfer to Georgia State’s Atlanta Campus and continue working with his family’s pool installation and real estate companies while studying.
Eventually, he plans to use his linguistic skills and degrees to develop businesses internationally.