I discovered I was hungry at EXPO2015
THE MILAN UNIVERSAL EXPOSITION WAS THE TURNING POINT IN THE CAREER OF TATIANA TALLARICO, BOCCONI ALUMNA. AND THAT LED HER TO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION"After my undergraduate degree I was looking for something in political science. I had chosen economics to open up to the world, now I wanted to have a better grasp of the way it worked” so Tatiana Tallarico starts the conversation from her office at the European Commission in Brussels. "The CLAPI Master of Science in Economics and Management of International Organizations immediately drew my attention. I also chose to do a Double Degree and began to attend Sciences Po in Paris, but I was always careful not to overspecialize, and maintain my mind open for other interests and choices." One of these interests leads Tatiana to work for UNICEF in Geneva, in the field of children and social responsibility, with particular attention to the problem of childhood obesity, a topic that absorbs her attention to the point of becoming the title of her graduation thesis.
"The subject excited me, but after graduation I got overwhelmed by the typical Italian anxiety of having to find stable employment as soon as possible," says the alumna. "I got a nice job in Milan in a corporate consultancy. It was a useful experience, in that it made me understand that consulting was just not for me." The year was 2013 and talk of the upcoming Expo in Milan was everywhere. Tatiana had already applied twice to join the company organizing the 2015 World Fair and the third try is the good one. "I joined the international relations division, where I worked with foreign delegations presenting the projects they'd implement in Milan," says Tatiana. "It was a great job, which unfortunately only lasted for the duration of Expo, which deepened my interest in social responsibility and food, especially in relation to the management of food waste. I finally knew what I wanted to do in my professional life. Meanwhile, I had accepted a grant for a research project at Bocconi CERGAS, the research center specializing in health care management and social innovation.”
Also the grant eventually ran out, and Tatiana applied to the concours selecting trainees for the European Commission. There are about 81 jobs available for Italians, while the applicants are about 4,000. “The selection process was extremely competitive, by finally I got to work for the Commission on issues of food safety and policy,” says the aspiring eurocrat. “Now my contract is a bit more long term, albeit in a different department, Agriculture and Rural Development. As part of the Horizon 2020 research program, I deal with overseeing the technical aspects of financing of the research projects of universities and public consortia concerning the agricultural industry and food security ". Meanwhile, she is preparing for the public competition to become a permanent EU official, which would stabilize her presence in the Commission's staff. "Now I hope to remain here, even though Brussels has the disadvantage of being Brussels," Tatiana jokes. “In some other places it’s already spring, but here it’s still cold.”
Read other articles on the topic:
The civil servants with the World as their office. Article by Valentina Mele
Washington was in my destiny. The tale of Andrea Salerno
As a child my dream was to be an ambassador. And today my suitcases are always ready. The tale of Aurora Russi
I am a globetrotter at the service of health. The tale of Marzia Calvi
by Lorenzo Martini
