Internationalisation

My personal journey across countries and cultures has shaped my deep conviction in the value of internationalization. I grew up in Italy but attended a French school. During my bachelor’s studies in Italy, I spent an Erasmus semester in the Netherlands. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I moved to the UK for my master’s studies, and later to Switzerland for my PhD. During my PhD, I regularly traveled to Ethiopia as a volunteer, and I spent the final six months of my doctorate conducting research in the USA, before I accepted my first position as a professor in Germany.

Each stay abroad was an enriching experience that broadened my horizons in ways I could never have anticipated. I made friends and built connections all over the world, and I learned to value both the differences between cultures and the richness of diversity. These experiences also allowed me to master several languages and to see the world from multiple perspectives. At the same time, they helped me to appreciate my own cultural background more deeply. I stopped taking things for granted and was inspired with new ideas for improvement at home. 

No internship, course, or exam could ever have substituted for these experiences in shaping who I am today. I cannot overstate the crucial role that internationalization plays both in education and in our personal lives. These experiences continue to guide me in promoting internationalization in our faculty, where I aim to create opportunities for others to benefit as much as I did.