Meet Jennifer Constantinou

Learn more about Jennifer Constantinou, Alumni (attended ISL 1994 to1998 - Class of 2000)

Where are you living now?
Sea Girt, New Jersey, USA

What did you do after you left ISL?
My family and I returned to our hometown in New Jersey, where I finished high school. I then moved to Boston to attend Tufts University for undergraduate studies. One of my good friends from ISL was my classmate at Tufts. 

What did you study at University?
I double-majored in Art History and the Classics of Greece and Rome. After Tufts, I attended Seton Hall School of Law and took the bar exams for New Jersey and New York.

What are you doing now?
I have been an attorney for the past thirteen years, specializing in litigation. After practicing commercial litigation in the law firm setting for several years, I moved in-house, first joining the Legal Department of a global hospitality company for nearly ten years, and most recently joining Verizon, where I currently serve as Associate General Counsel - Litigation. 
 
What advantages has studying at ISL given you?
The education my brother and I received at ISL is unparalleled. I felt challenged every day to expand my knowledge base and see the world through different viewpoints. ISL’s focus on language, world history, culture, and community was enriching and inspiring. I remember field trips to other countries, where we had the incredible chance to immerse ourselves in the local language and history.

What advice would you give students to help them make the most of their time at ISL?
Embrace the diverse cultural backgrounds of your teachers, friends, and their families, try everything new at least once, learn a new language, study hard, have fun, and take advantage of living in a country as beautiful and culturally-rich as Luxembourg. The experience you have as a student at ISL will be like no other in your lifetime.

Were you involved in any clubs/activities at ISL? What did you enjoy about them and what benefit do you think they have for students? 
I was most involved in the school’s athletic program. I played basketball, volleyball, softball, and ran track. Coach Kasinathan was the finest athletic director and most incredible coach I’ve ever known - he was funny, kind, magnetic, and unconditionally caring. Every word he spoke was for the benefit and betterment of the student body and his student-athletes (including “no street shoes on the gym floor!”). His lessons were invaluable in life, well beyond sports. He taught us perseverance, resilience, focus, leadership, respect, and the true meaning of working together as a team.  All the coaching staff at ISL shared those values - they wanted us to excel as students, excel as athletes, and always strive to continue improving ourselves.  Having the opportunity to travel to a different country every weekend, play against another international school, and spend the weekend with the opposing players and their families remains a shining highlight of my time at ISL. That kind of experience for student-athletes is life-changing. ISL students are immeasurably lucky to have such a unique opportunity and first in class athletic program, in addition to a first in class education, and all the co-curricular programs available.
 
Describe some of the things that ISL does above and beyond teaching and learning:
ISL shaped my world view and perspective at a young age. Through my teachers and friends from so many diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, I had a direct connection to a multitude of countries and cultures. My closest friends came from England, Poland, Iran, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, and across the US. I feel privileged to have spent my school years with them and to have spent so much time in their family homes, absorbing firsthand their home language, food, customs, and traditions. Being a student at ISL is synonymous with understanding the importance of respect, awareness, compassion, diplomacy, and inclusivity. 

How did your time at ISL help shape you as a person? 
During the years in which I attended ISL, my father was serving as the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg.  We arrived on a very special year - the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge and the Liberation of Luxembourg. Within just a few months of moving to Luxembourg, I made best friends who shaped my time there, and my world view changed completely.  It was exciting to be constantly learning something new, to be meeting so many amazing people from diverse backgrounds, to be traveling and exploring.  At ISL, I developed a craving to learn about art, architecture, literature, history, and linguistics, which continues to this day.  There is no school like ISL. I had the most memorable time of my life there and I am so grateful for the experience and friendships. 

Describe ISL in 5 words
Exceptional, multicultural, inclusive, empowering, dynamic.