Until January this year, I was a Fulbright Scholar in the US and completed an LLM in Environmental Law at Pace University in New York. I also have an LLM from Queen Mary University in London; and completed a
postgraduate programme in International Relations and Human Rights at SIOI, the Italian Association for the United Nations.
Brought up in Scampia, one of the most deprived districts in Italy, where drugs and violence were daily realities of life, I was fortunate to get a scholarship to one of Naples best schools. I continued to live in Scampia with pride, and volunteered, since age 13, with organisations that provided support to refugees and disadvantaged children in the district. Years thereafter, I volunteered to support the dispossessed in Mozambique, Iceland, and Latin America.
The experience of working amongst society’s most vulnerable, and learning from them, provided
me with an enthusiasm for work, as well as a positive outlook. It is this work ethic and positivity which has
motivated me to travel the world, address the UN General Assembly, deliver two TED Talks, win the Fulbright scholarship, and work at the UN.
Working in the legal team at the US Consulate in Naples not only gave me a detailed overview of consular services, but also an insight into documentary roadblocks faced by migrants. Interning at the UN’s International Council of Environmental Law in New York allowed me to attend international conventions and educated me on the protocol for reporting on such major diplomatic events.
Possibly most relevant was my role as a Diplomatic Adviser with the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica at the UN, which allowed me to report on UN negotiations, vote at the General Assembly, and
importantly, participate in the high-level meetings with world leaders, including the EU Commission President, the UK Prime Minister, and various LatAm heads of government.
