Alumni stories - Best Student Award 2021
Interview to Alice Righi and Lorenzo Bonetti
As per tradition, our faculty board has identified among CLAMDA students those who have distinguished themselves most in their academic careers.
Lorenzo Bonetti and Alice Righi were thus named 2021 Best Students, respectively at CLAMDA - Direzione Aziendale and CLAMDA - International Management. A prestigious award that crowns the commitment shown in the last two years, undoubtedly intense and full of challenges.
Alice comes from Carpi, in the province of Modena, while Lorenzo is from Bologna, also home to the university the two chose for their education, the Alma Mater Studiorum. Both sports enthusiasts, a passion to which they associate the values of tenacity, meritocracy, and commitment, they are also united by the constant search for new stimuli.
Curious to learn more about their experience as CLAMDA students, we posed some questions and collected their first impressions shortly after the appointment.
"The appointment as Best Student represents an opportunity for me to set an example for future CLAMDA-IM students," Alice tells us. "In these two years, I have learned that being a good student does not only mean being attentive in class, having the highest marks, and always being on par with studying but, above all, it means actively participating in discussions, collaborating with classmates, and give them the necessary support; be proactive during teamwork, and try to include everyone as much as possible. It is essential to learn to value fellow students and workmates, listen to their perspectives, and always remain open to dialogue and mutual improvement."
Lorenzo, agreeing, adds: "This appointment, as well as being an important recognition, is the demonstration that anyone, with the proper commitment and with the support of the right people, can achieve their goals. In fact, I would like to thank all the classmates who have been there for me in the most challenging moments because they pushed me to commit myself more and give my best to reach their level. If I have improved so much over the two years, I owe it mainly to them.
The other part of the credit for this result goes to CLAMDA itself. It taught me how to manage my time and energy most effectively and efficiently, making organization and commitment the most important aspects of my daily life."
Yet, what led these two young talents to choose CLAMDA after their three-year degree?
Alice decided to enroll in International Management - the CLAMDA address entirely taught in English - to best achieve her professional goal of working in a large multinational. On the other hand, Lorenzo has developed over the years a strong interest in managerial practices and has set himself the goal of contributing to the improvement of Italian companies. "The quality of life in a country reflects the state of health of its companies," he explains, "so I have the ambition to make a concrete contribution to the growth of my territory, and for this reason, I have chosen Direzione Aziendale."
For Lorenzo, the transition from the bachelor to the master's degree was not particularly difficult but certainly challenging. "The main difference that I found between the two courses was the greater importance given by CLAMDA to practical projects to be carried out together with university colleagues, a decisive and fundamental factor in facilitating the entry of young graduates into the world of work." In the two years at CLAMDA, Lorenzo was thus able to develop his interpersonal skills further, learning to count on others while maintaining confidence in his own abilities and resources.
Alice's experience was similar. Immediately after her three-year degree she moved to Switzerland, where she studied for a year at the University of Zurich. "I noticed huge differences between CLAMDA and my previous academic career," she tells us. "My bachelor and the Master in Zurich were much more theoretical, oriented towards research, individual study, and the deepening of abstract concepts. CLAMDA, on the other hand, is based on a more practical approach, aimed at combining academic theory with real business cases through group work, workshops, class presentations, and experiences in international companies."
According to Alice, this teaching method has allowed her to radically change how she faces situations, people, and goals, both personal and professional.
As highlighted by both during the interview, teamwork and the sharing of objectives are among the cornerstones of the didactical approach at CLAMDA.
"An enjoyable memory acquired in these two years is the spirit of collaboration that exists among the students and beyond. In fact, the Alumni of the course are also a strong, constant, and fundamental presence. All of this creates a sense of community that goes far beyond the mere educational process," Alice comments.
"A significant project for me was that of the B2B Marketing course, where I had to carry out a market analysis with my classmates with a subsequent marketing plan for a real company. Each of us felt totally involved and gave the maximum contribution. The final result was truly "achieved by the group" and built up over many afternoons spent together doing research, planning and sharing ideas, overcoming every obstacle and uncertainty together. It was crucial for me to understand that not only the final result counts but also how we achieved it and what we learned along the way."
Testing oneself, in a context that is not necessarily familiar, undoubtedly leads to improvement, but above all, to get to know yourself better. As a result, your goals for the future get clearer and better defined. "Before joining CLAMDA, I couldn’t picture myself as a professional clearly as I can today," admits Lorenzo. "This master’s degree has allowed me to get to know more deeply the type of path I have undertaken and that I want to pursue. In fact, I decided to enter the world of consultancy, in particular the performance audit field, with the aim of learning as much as possible in the shortest possible time, adding skills that will allow me to cover someday a decision-making role within an organization."
Although having just recently concluded CLAMDA, Alice and Lorenzo have already found a way to spend their newly acquired knowledge in the world of work. Lorenzo is currently engaged in an internship as a Business Analyst at KPMG Italy, while Alice has entered Amazon as a Product Manager Intern. We are sure our 2021 Best Students will be able to make the most of two prestigious opportunities.
"Taking this path means to engage not only in individual study but also to learn how to be part of a group," Alice concludes, addressing those who are preparing to follow in her footsteps. "Your grade or result will also depend on the performance of the other team members, peer evaluation, and class participation, so getting out of your comfort zone will be imperative, but at the same time a priceless experience."
“I also advise future CLAMDA students to always look beyond the horizon, even when uncertainty about the future comes forward and obscures the objectives,” adds Lorenzo. “The important thing is to continually invest your commitment in line with your ambitions. And when it all seems too hard, set yourself more achievable goals. You can get very far even by taking smaller steps; what really matters is to never stop. "