The Magnificent Seven

There are seven students enrolled at Bocconi University who on Tuesday 26 October, at the Quirinale, were awarded the title of Alfieri del Lavoro by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, an award established in 1961 by the National Federation of Knights of Labor and destined every year to award the 25 best students in Italy, recommended by school principals from all over the country, who have finished upper secondary school with full marks.

This year there were double the winners with the President of the Republic Medal, because the 25 best students of 2020 were celebrated (ceremony postponed last year due to pandemic) together with those of 2021.

Among last year's winners, the Bocconians: Diego Pastour, Giulia Russo, Leonardo Scaglione, Lucia Schiavone, Alessandro Tasca, Edoardo Toma, and Ilaria Villa.


Diego Pastour, from Hône (Aosta), enrolled in the second year of the CLEAM: "The managerial career in finance is what I aim to achieve, even if at the moment I keep all roads open. I have always liked studying, I want to learn and know. And at Bocconi, both from the comparison with other students and in the classroom with the professors, you learn something new every day. A funny thing about the awards ceremony was when Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, a graduate of Bocconi, approached us and asked: 'Who are the Bocconians among you?' "

Giulia Russo, from San Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia), enrolled in the 1st year CLEAM: "The most exciting moment of the ceremony when the President handed us the medal, the funniest one when the Minister of Education, Patrizio Bianchi, gave us 'five'. It was a beautiful, exciting day. As exciting as my first months at Bocconi were. An environment where the thing you grasp the most is the sense of belonging, which is transmitted to you in the first place by the teachers. Management studies are the ones that I am most passionate about, it is in this direction that I imagine my future."

Leonardo Scaglione, from Canelli (Asti), enrolled in the first year of Law: "I enrolled in Law at Bocconi because it is an innovative degree course, within a very open and international university. My goal, which I have cultivated since childhood, is to work in the future in some large international organization or to undertake a diplomatic career. Or, why not? I would like to teach, in high school or university."

Lucia Schiavone, from Rende (Cosenza), 1st year CLEF: "I grew up with two parents who graduated in Economics and Commerce and, even though I attended classics high school, this path was a bit in my destiny. I chose the Clef both for the study plan and because from the third year onwards it provides for the possibility of continuing in English, a fundamental plus for me. Bocconi in these first months struck me for its organization, for the services it offers and obviously for the quality of teaching. As for the recognition, I tend to rationalize a lot and therefore I have not experienced the previous days with particular anxiety. But when I found myself parading in front of the president, my rationality gave way to a great emotion."

Alessandro Tasca, from Caltagirone (Catania), enrolled in the first year of the CLEAM: "The economy is a passion that I have since childhood, then growing up I have refined my passions and I see myself managing a company in the future. At Bocconi I am finding a dynamic and heterogeneous environment, which stimulates competition in a positive and fair sense, which leads everyone to improve. My academic results are the consequence of my passion for studying, but university life also leaves room for other things, such as reading, especially thrillers, and sports."

Edoardo Toma, from Casarano (Lecce), enrolled in the second year of the BIEM program: "I chose Bocconi and this course because I am attracted by the business world, in particular by the business model that is useful for the development of society. However, I still don't know which sector is right for me. To clarify my ideas, I am waiting for the first internships. One of the aspects that I appreciated most in this first year was the total availability of the teaching staff towards the students and their requests. But also, the fact that it is a university in step with the times - the Python course is a concrete example. The ceremony in Rome was thrilling overall, the moment I appreciated the most was when, at the end, we were able to speak briefly with Cavalieri del Lavoro. A taste of what awaits us in the future."

Ilaria Villa, from Milan, enrolled in the first year of the CLEAM: "I chose economics because I consider it a discipline capable of combining mathematical, quantitative, social and humanistic aspects. And therefore, capable of opening up many opportunities for the future. Studying has always been a great passion, but it has never taken up all my time. In addition to normal passions, such as music and evenings with friends, I have volunteered at the Sacra Famiglia of Cesano Boscone, in particular in favor of people with disabilities. A beautiful experience. I can say about the ceremony at the Quirinale that I felt a great emotion, so strong that I experienced some moments almost holding my breath, to the point that now, a few days later, I hardly remember them anymore."