A Bit About Me

I was born and raised in Bari, on the south-eastern coast of Italy. I grew up as an only child, but at age 10 we had the luck of adopting the most wonderful puppy, who still today is a key member of our family (see end of page for pics).

I attended a half-German-half-Italian high school and during my fourth year, I spent a semester as an exchange student in Alameda, California. There, I was supposed to take the SAT as part of the exchange requirement, and I almost didn't show up since I had no intention of attending a US college. Little did I know that it would be a life-changing "waste of time", since it started the road that took me to Harvard and ultimately to where I am today.

Final facts about me: I adore cheese and white chocolate, spend way too much time on youtube watching stand-up comedy, I'm an architecture and infrastructure geek, and I love dogs of all shape and form.

Extracurricular

Telefono Amico Hotline

I am part of the Accoglienza e Telefono Amico counseling group at CIG-Arcigay in Milan. We are a group of trained volunteers of all ages who offer services of counseling for anyone in need, especially regarding LGBT+ issues. Services include a hotline for urgent matters, in-person counseling once a week, an online-chat service for those who prefer to remain anonymous, as well as an email conversation option.

Scuole Aperte: Milan Municipality

For the past few months I have also been helping the Milan Municipality with a project called Scuole Aperte: part of the city's Education department, the goal of the project is to promote and improve extracurricular activities in the public schools of the district, especially looking at the more underfunded institutions. My task has primarily been that of creating a centralized database of all the schools' activities, in order to have a better understanding of where to direct particular extra efforts and funds.

Other Associations

I am also a member of Mensa Italia, Mensa International, Harvard Alumni Association and the Harvard Club of Italy.

Political Activism

Being involved politically is fundamental for me and twin to my academic interest: just as much as good academic research is needed to inform policymakers, sensible political activity is crucial to make sure that the relevant academic insights are appropriately incorporated into political decisions. Some examples of activities include:

• I organize conferences on relevant current events, often inviting experts to present their view on the situation at hand.
• I am part of the Milan directive for a youth party organization, responsible for the labor and inequality department.
• I am leading a research group on a national reform of internship and apprenticeship work contracts: we are collaborating with members of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, law professors, representatives of the labor unions as well as of the employers' associations — in order to understand the critical points of these current entry-level work contracts and propose working solutions.
• I have participated in the 2018-2019 Scuola di Politiche course, a year-long seminar and interactive session aimed at providing participants with key notions on political history, legal and institutional frameworks, future economic perspectives, and policy-writing.

Staying in Shape

Meet the puppy!