"I wanted both intellectual engagement and balance in my life. But curiosity doesn't follow predictable paths.
While studying Business Economics at Federico II University, I enrolled simultaneously in Law, perhaps seeking not to sever my connection with the classical world. Interpreting legal norms felt similar to translating Greek passages-both demand precision, contextual sensitivity, the ability to discern what lies beneath words. I took several exams with genuine enthusiasm.
Yet gradually, something unexpected emerged through Professor Iacopo Grassi's courses in microeconomics and game theory: fascination with the analytical rigor of economic theory. He revealed an intellectual elegance I hadn't anticipated-the power of formal models to illuminate human behavior.
This discovery forced a difficult choice. I couldn't pursue both Law and Economics with the depth each deserved. Eventually, I decided to leave Law behind and commit fully to the master in Economics and Finance. It meant abandoning something I loved, but embracing what I loved more deeply. My transformation accelerated during my second year of the master's program in Lisbon, where I spent a year pursuing a double degree with Católica. This experience proved transformative expanding my horizons geographically, methodologically, intellectually.
Then, when Professor Saverio Simonelli invited me to collaborate on research, I hesitated, harboring two misconceptions: that research meant tedious hours with incomprehensible programming tools, and that originality required genius I lacked. The work proved entirely different. Programming became fascinating when serving meaningful questions.
Originality, I discovered, doesn't require inventing from nothing; fresh perspectives on existing problems constitute genuine contribution.
My thesis unified everything: my institutional understanding from Law, my training in economic theory. Investigating how corruption affects intergenerational mobility in Italy, I discovered that corruption operates asymmetrically-protecting elite families from downward mobility while systematically blocking advancement for disadvantaged children.
Receiving the Crivelli Europe Scholarship represents recognition that my unconventional path led somewhere meaningful. More importantly, it provides freedom to pursue doctoral training in top universities, developing frameworks to answer deeper questions: Through what mechanisms does corruption block opportunity-credit access, labor market connections? Can institutional reforms restore mobility? To young people following unconventional paths: don't fear non-linearity. A winding journey doesn't diminish talent-it enriches perspective.
Your greatest asset is curiosity, which respects no disciplinary boundaries".