Aleksaundra Handrinos

Class of 2026
B.S. in Ethics, History & Public Policy and International Relations & Political Science, Minor in Business Administration
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts

Aleksaundra’s dedication to community engagement originates through her relationships with both her maternal and paternal grandparents who immigrated to the United States from Greece seeking to improve their opportunities from what was available in their villages. Learning and understanding their struggle to assimilate and survive in a new country inspired Aleksaundra to think deeply about how community can create generational change. Her grandparents’ hard work and sacrifice pushes her to work towards creating positive change through community engagement.

In addition to her grandparents’ origin story, growing up in a Greek American family has instilled important values in Aleksaundra. One such value is philotimo, an untranslatable Greek word that is made up of “filos” meaning friend, and “timi” meaning honor. Philotimo essentially is a virtue, a way of life that values being trustworthy and decent in all decisions and actions. Philotimo represents goodness and selflessness. Philotimo is one aspect that drives Aleksaundra to think about the people and the world around her.

Aleksaundra is passionate about establishing access to education. Coming from a family with immigrant grandparents who were not given the chance to pursue their educational desires, she has always been cognizant of the importance of education and been immensely appreciative of every opportunity to further her studies.