After His Bachelor of Science Virgilio Moved to New York, Among Professionals and Nobel Laureates

The Berkley Scholars Program allocates five scholarships to five deserving young people from all over the world to attend an MBA with a specialization in Finance at New York University. One has been awarded to Virgilio Contucci, a very recent Bocconi Economics and Finance graduate. The scholarship covers not only full tuition but also a two-year expense stipend.

This is a valuable learning opportunity because all participants in the MBA program, except the five Berkley Scholars, are a few years older and have two or three years of professional experience. "This is why I'm expecting to learn a lot not only in class, but also from daily exchanges with my classmates," says the recent graduate. He is a Bologna native and started the program in August. "New York is a great city, it truly is the center of the world and there's a strong culture of supporting your peers, not only at school. Also, knowing that 4 professors of this university are Nobel laureates, including this year's winner Paul Romer, is really exciting."

Virgilio discovered his passion for academics and finance at Bocconi. "The reason I want to talk about my experience is because I want to encourage all Bocconians to apply and not miss this opportunity: there should be a Bocconi graduate here every year," says Virgilio. Being encouraged by his classmates and professors was a determining factor for him. "In high school, I wasn't exactly a great student," he admits. "But after coming to Bocconi I met classmates, now friends, who are very ambitious and who motivated me to give my best right from the start." And he liked it. His academic path is not only studded with outstanding grades, but also extracurricular interests and experiences: a semester exchange at Cornell University, a month and a half volunteering in Nicaragua and participating as a consultant at 180 Degrees Consulting, which focuses on innovation and sustainability.

"My lightbulb moment came during a course held by Professor Mario Noera, who helped us understand how finance has been essential for the evolution of the human race, with the introduction of currency, credit and debt. That's when I understood that I could make a difference through finance, but to do so, I needed to fully understand it," continues Virgilio. "Bocconi literally changed my point of view and showed me an exciting perspective of constantly challenging myself and I'm happy because of it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."