"Rome appeared to me a City full of promise, both personally and professionally." So states Viola Albertinazzi, a first-year law school student. She always dreamt of attending Luiss.
"Luiss is a University that ensures you become open-minded, to have this core value. Helping others less well-off than yourself or quite different from you not only allows you to know and understand others, but yourself as well – adding to your life experience." One of the many Luiss campus volunteers helping out at Rome's Sant'Egidio Community, she hasn't let the Covid-19 pandemic stop her, either. She is busy preparing meals for the homeless. "I'm one of the cooks – making everything at home. I prepare dishes for pickup that are then taken to the needy not far from here, near Verano Cemetery and the Polyclinic hospital grounds." But that's not all. During this crisis, the Luiss student also donates her time making phone calls to the elderly to make sure they have everything they need. "On Mondays, I call people who have a birthday, keeping them company for awhile, chatting about things. It's not always so easy – some have difficulty using even the telephone. But generally speaking, they're happy to have someone to talk to about their day.
Viola advises all students to look into these sorts of activities, saying "It's a personal experience that offers you so much. But you have to have the calling: When the desire to help others comes from a place deep within, it is much easier to go down this path." Viola admits that one of the best parts about volunteering is establishing solid relationships with the persons she assists. "They sometimes gift me with poems, drawings...I have a closet full of their wonderful gifts."
One of the highlights of her University experience was meeting Luiss General Manager, Giovanni Lo Storto in Hall 200: "It's a moment I will never forget. His message was really motivational – it was then that I could fully grasp the environment of this University, the will to make things happen...and the feeling of being part of something great."
For students coming from outside of Rome, Luiss represents a focal point, a place from where students can gain vast exposure through engaging in many new experiences. Viola recalls another enlightening conference on Women & Careers: Organized by the LEP Student Association, she was impressed by the speakers who included, "A magistrate, a government Minister, a Lawyer. They each told us how they carved out their careers to get where they were today, and what it means to be a woman in these lofty places of power – having such important status in our society."
Viola, for her part, would like to become a magistrate. But she's open to other possibilities, such as forging a career in international affairs so she can continue to be exposed to new people and a kaleidoscope of cultures along the way.