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“Nous ne coalisons pas des Etats, nous unisson des homes”.
Jean Monnet, Discours, Washington, 30.4.1952

The story of the II Convention of the European students is without doubt the story of a little miracle. When we prepared for the I Convention and went to Paris last January there was sort of an idea that we were possibly to organize the II Convention, but it was far from sure. Thus, to be endorsed with this task with such an enthusiasm was for us indeed very rewording!

So, here we came back to Rome full of enthusiasm… but with barely nothing else…

We started working on the II Convention after the exams session in the mid of February with no money, no speakers, one telephone line and one PC only… we are a long way from that, the proof that as one of our supporters put in “when there is the will to do something, anything can be achieved”. Indeed it was so.

But since the realization of the II Convention really owes everything to a little bunch of people that have put their mind, their time, their work and their hearts fully into it, it worth presenting them!

First of all, our acknowledgment goes to MARINA TESAURO, the Head of International Relations of the University of Rome Tor Vergata. Marina is the most wonderful woman one would like to work with: shiny, full of energy, generous and… so full of resources! Bets are open on who will ever find a problem Marina does not has a solution for….

Marina has an assistant, another of our pillars, RITA PANUCCI. Just like Marina, Rita is a solar person, full of resources and of enthusiasm, fantastic in solving any bureaucratic problem one might have!

Talking about staff, the Rector's staff has patiently supported and helped us in all possible ways, smiling anytime we would appear in their office with one more task to fulfill!!!

Our technology and PC man is LORENZO CATUCCI: it has been impossible to take a picture of him which is a pity because his is blond with blue eyes… as any former student of Physics turned into computer sciences he is a bit crazy … but what would we do without him??? The number of times he saved us from all sort of tech-disasters in indeed numberless…

Then there is the Sc.Po. équipe: SYLVAIN KAHN, FABIEN PERRIER, CHARLOTTE CABATON and PERRINE NOEL, above all, have provided full of advice and practical support: without which it would have been impossible to organize the II Convention!

But most of all, there were the students: indeed we must be proud that such students are here at Tor Vergata: truly speaking, without them the event would have never take place! Who are they? What are their “specialties”? we shall now see it.

PALMA D’AMBROSIO was “stolen” from “Rome La Sapienza”: she started working for us a few days before graduating. She is one of the “kids” of the University Residence “Lamaro Pozzani”. As I have now learned, whenever a student comes from there, it is a warrant of high quality! Palma is calm, happy and reliable. Her atout is definitely her incredible ability in writing, especially in “diplomatic writing”: the start of a new carrier? But, for the time being, she will anyway stay with us also after the Convention, much to my great happiness!

MARCO ZINZANI is another “kid from Lamaro Pozzani”, indeed its enfant prodige, as he is only in his second year in Law! Marco has found sponsors, convinced speakers such as the Vice President of the Council Gianfranco Fini to attend the II Convention, acted as our Ambassador in particularly tuff negotiations… I would not be surprised to see him as Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry one day!

JESSICA BROWN is our third column: she is American and after studying European Affairs in Florence in a study abroad program she decided to shift her major from Biology to International Relations… and followed me to Rome!!!! Jessica was our genial graphic designer and our web leader, no corner of the net remains undiscovered under her hands… she was the one who counted and recounted all the registrations of our guests… it will be a pity for us when she’ll go back to the US… not for so long, we hope…

ANDREA AIELLO managed to work for the Convention, finish his thesis and his civil service at the same time. He is our contact men: for every problem he can think of a contact, a person to help solving it. He is also our “image man” the guy you would always want him to chair an important meeting…

MARCO AMICI has been our man in Paris and Bruxelles: while doing an ERASMUS in Leuven he found us a main sponsor and most of all kept close contacts with the Sc.Po. équipe!! And the poor thing had not finished to unpack from Belgium that he was already in the office full time!!

TIZIANA TORELLI is our Charlie’s Angel: behind the happy smile and the topmodel shapes… here comes an inflexible engineer and great negotiator!!! James Bond is warned…

SALVATORE MORELLI was our technology man and our man in the Faculty of Economics… indeed he is the only one of the group studying European Affairs!!!

LUCIO BARON, VALENTINO CATELLANI, IPPOLITO PUCCI, LAURA CLERICI, GIULIA LUCARELLI, CARLA SANASI, RICCARDO ROSSI are some of the other people that contributed, in a way or the other to the Convention. To them and to all the unnamed ones… THANK YOU AND WELCOME TO THE ASSISE!!!!

Federiga Bindi

PS As for me, I arrived to the University of Rome Tor Vergata almost by chance 3 years ago to work on European Affairs… but this year has been by far the most incredible and rewarding one: the amount of work has been overwhelming but well worthy it! working with Marina and with the students, “my” students as I proudly call them, has been an incredible adventure and I’m not completely sure of how much they are aware of what a miracle they did!
Also, in our common future plans with Sc.Po., the Convention represents a little step forward in the process of developing new didactics for the new world: after all, in our Universities we do not give knowledge only, rather we grow men, we show them they that they have “wings” and how to use them, then is up to them to do it or not. I truly believe our students have now became expert flyers…