Erasmus, research for the thesis, humanitarian missions, professional internships: these are some of the reasons that brought Milena Pirolli, a LUISS graduate in International Relations, to travel and have fundamental experiences for her education and future.
At 25, Milena has already a cv filled with international experiences of any kind. As an Erasmus student, she attended the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, after which she decided to help the international students coming to LUISS University as Vice President of the ESN Roma L.U. Association. The most important experience for Milena, at that time, was when she worked for the University of Jordan in Amman handling many key international issues. She worked at the Center for Strategic Studies with a LUISS fellowship for specialization at a foreign university.
"The time in Jordan was very important to me – Milena says – as it allowed me to improve my analytical and political skills. I managed to analyze political moves from a different point of view, broadening my horizons by living close to the Syrian crisis, and seeing the difficulties of a country confronting emergencies. I experienced the hard work of refugee management, and, with the help of my friends expats in Jordan who worked in the Zaatari camp for many NGOs, I managed to better understand the situation."
After having discovered and visited beautiful lands, Milena returned to Italy and, after having graduated with honors, decided to continue her quest and volunteer for a mission in Turkey and Greece. "I was in Istanbul and in the Turkish-Syrian border to control the war refugees programs, viewing the complex situation of immigration first-hand."
Meanwhile, she chooses to attend Master of Arts in International Public Affairs of the LUISS School of Government to deepen those important experiences through lectures with the major experts in foreign policy. "I chose to attend the MIPA Master when I was still a student thanks to the valuable advices of Professor Fabbrini, who was my supervisor for the Master’s degree thesis and a real mentor in this inspiring journey."
Milena's future cannot be but a cosmopolitan one. Right after the Master at the School of Government she was selected to work at the Farnesina as Liaison Officer: "The experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was hectic and I bore many responsibilities. I worked with the Delegation for the Organization of the Semester of Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This was one of the most important moments in my life, that allowed me to have a great work experience and grow up professionally."
More recently, she has been recruited for the Blue Book traineeship period at the European Commission, where she will make the most of her expertise at the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development – EuropeAid. "I'm very happy I have been selected for this internship, especially because it will give me the chance to move again and live a new adventure, immerging in a new international environment."