James Kostomiris

James Kostomiris

“My first day of school, I remember the intercoms coming on before the first hour, talking about the tragic death that happened a few weeks before school started. I remember being scared hearing about that, but I can promise you West Chicago is not that bad,” said senior James Kostimiris.

Kostomiris has excelled in high school while also working a part-time job and playing basketball for the high school for the past 4 years. “Basketball has taught me a lot of dedication and responsibility, since I would have to manage work, school, and practices every day,” said Kostomiris.

Senior and fellow teammate Baqar Khan said, “James has always been a hard worker for as long as I’ve known him, and I am glad to call him a true friend of mine.”

A short time ago, Kostomiris fully committed to Loras College, a Division 3 school, to play basketball. But, sometimes in life, there are different paths that people must take to be able to make the most out of their situations, and so Kostomiris “recently decided not to continue to play basketball in college.” He will focus on his studies, and plans to major in physical training in the fall, a program that will take up to 8 years to complete.

“While it hurts me to leave something I worked so hard to accomplish, I feel like I have other things planned for me in life. My coaches were pretty disappointed that I decided to not continue my basketball career, but I want to take time to enjoy life and focus on school. The late Coach Williams always encouraged me to be a good person and to do what I wanted to do, and I feel like this is what is right for me.”

For WEGO’s underclassmen, Kostomiris said, “The best piece of advice that I can give incoming freshmen and even anyone, in general, is the things you regret the most in life won’t be the things you’ve done. They’ll be the things you didn’t do, that you wish you did. Take risks.”