Mexican
Bachelor degree in Global Studies at Pompeu Fabra University

I'm currently finishing my second bachelor's degree, in Global Studies at Pompeu Fabra University and I will start a Master in Migration Studies in September, in the same university. My previous Bachelor's degree was Philosophy, at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, in Mexico City. As part of my Global Studies program, I had to do a mandatory Erasmus+, so I decided to do the mobility program at Ca' Foscari University, because I found out that I could also join the VIU's Globalization Program.

The Globalization program offered me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of relevant aspects of the globalization challenges, taught by top academics from all over the world, helping me to prepare for my next academic step. Moreover, the possibility to engage in a multicultural dialogue with so many international students in one of the most picturesque cities was essential to me. Global cities are the perfect places to understand why do we need so much to reflect upon the world we are currently living in and to understand what we can do to improve it, learning from each other's cultural experiences.

I had also the possibility to do an Internship at the Italian National Research Council (CNR) in the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies (IRPPS), where I was involved in a single research project related to my Bachelor thesis. I also performed the auxiliary task of helping in enhancing scientific dissemination of articles written in my native language, Spanish. I had a truly remarkable experience there, working directly with the Director of the Institute, Dr Daniele Archibugi and I was able to learn from top Italian researchers. They helped me to get involved in the academic field and enhance my skills in social and migration studies research, such as better management of statistical software.

My bachelor's dissertation examines how the bureaucratic asylum request process in Italy has changed over the past ten years and how these changes are related to political transformations in the Italian government. The analysis of this relevant topic takes a sociological perspective on how immigration policy is effectively applied and how changes in its application relate to significant changes in the country's political landscape and how they can contribute significantly to the growth of the bureaucratic power. The results reveal a self-feeding system in which political actors have a primary role, helped by the increasing media attention towards asylum seekers, creating a need for restrictive laws in immigration in Italian society. Thus, the need for de-politicising migration is urgent if we want actual social cohesion.

My research project is linked to the study program at VIU, which provided me with analytical tools and class debates to which I owe some of my reflections. Furthermore, thanks to the closer connection professors have with the students in the VIU campus, which I have only experienced at San Servolo, some of them were able to provide me with some contacts and bibliography to give robustness to my research.

I have lots of episodes about my experience at VIU that remain impressed in my mind. One was the great circle we did in the Ecofeminism class. It was great because we were learning from the professor and the syllabus, and at the same time, we were learning from each of the other students' cultural experiences, and we became close. The second was going to study in the library and always finding someone I knew, so we could take a break from studying and sharing ideas. 

Moreover, I have another two moments that left a mark on me at the CNR-IRPPS. The first one was during my first day, when Dr Daniele Archibugi introduced me to many researchers, and by the time of the coffee break they had already invited me, even discussing my dissertation, so they were able to give me useful insights. And the second one was that some of the researchers at the Institute knew Spanish but were a bit rusty, so they took the opportunity to practice their Spanish with me, and sometimes I could take the opportunity to practice with them my Italian.

All these experiences helped me to learn from professional academics the on-going research and debates in the different topics I have been interested in and develop my critical analysis skills, and thanks to the great opportunity I was given at CNR-IRPPS, I am now one step closer to my future academic career.

I would definitely recommend joining the program at the Venice International University. Thanks to VIU, an international student can have such a great opportunity of working with a top-research institute. You can work in an inclusive environment, doing what you are passionate about, with the support from worldwide recognised researchers. And in my case, it gave me the opportunity of working in one of the most beautiful cities in the world: Rome.

If I have to describe the experience at VIU in one word I suppose it would be: INNOVATIVE. 

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