John Kosar

John Kosar is proof that even if you don't initially follow your heart, unexpected opportunities can put you back on the right path.

He recalls that as a 6-year-old, he would accompany his father, a financial analyst, to his office where Kosar would watch television shows on money strategies. When he was a student at Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock, Ill., he planned to major in finance until a teacher suggested that he pursue engineering. A year and a half after entering the computer engineering program at IIT, Kosar began to question whether he had chosen the best path for himself."

I decided to meet with Professor John Twombly and after our talk, I knew that I didn’t need a change of scenery, just a change of major. I am happy with the business program at IIT. I plan to apply for my master's in finance here."

Besides finance, Kosar also developed a passion for another subject at a young age: baseball. His talent scored him an IIT sports scholarship and a chance to play at U.S. Cellular Field against student athletes from the University of Chicago in a Battle of the Brains game in 2011."

There is no greater feeling in the world than standing on a baseball diamond," says Kosar, pitcher and outfielder for the IIT Scarlet Hawks. "Playing in the Battle of the Brains was a dream come true. I have always wanted to play at the field and never imagined it would happen during college."