Luiss graduate Vanessa Boi completed a Master's Degree in International Relations. “I chose Luiss because it gave me the chance to get a head start in the job market right away. During the first semester of my first year, I worked at the Afghan Embassy and was able to gain firsthand experience with the mechanisms that underpin real international relations.” Today, she is the President of Global Action, an NGO that develops free educational projects in the field of diplomacy with young people and experts in international relations.

Vanessa says that her work with the NGO allowed her to truly understand her dreams and professional goals: “Global Action works with 70 embassies in Rome, and I personally had the opportunity to visit each one and build relationships with the diplomats.” 

According to the Luiss graduate, the University's strengths lie in its ability to bridge the gap between young people and the job market, the chance to interact with individuals from around the world, and the opportunity to gain experience abroad. “In my final year of my master's degree, I won a scholarship to attend several universities in Iran for a month during the summer. The experience of living in a country completely different from ours has enriched me immensely.” What made the experience even more unique was being able to talk with young Iranian men and women to gain a deeper understanding of the choices and behaviors typical of their culture.

In February 2020, the alumna was selected to represent the Italian Delegation at the G7 Youth Summit in the United States. However, the COVID-19 emergency disrupted those plans: “The Summit didn't take place in Washington, D.C., and was held virtually, as was the G7 meeting of world leaders. We worked online with the other delegations: the methods changed, but the objectives remained the same. It was another challenge that showed us how the world of diplomacy could evolve in the future,” she says.

Her fondest memory from her time at Luiss is primarily about the people she met—colleagues and professors who shared some of their passion with her. It's also about “the pleasure of feeling part of a community that strives to guide and support you, almost like a big family.”

She advises students who want to follow a similar path to take advantage of every opportunity the university offers and to network as much as possible: “Once you graduate, the key is to have a clear goal and never give up.”

Vanessa's big dream is to work with the United Nations World Food Program: “I would really love to be part of their world and contribute my ideas to projects that invest in major goals like education and reducing hunger around the world,” she concludes.