Good morning, Francesca. Thank you for being here with us today. Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself?
Certainly! I’m Francesca, and I work at the ST office in Agrate, Italy. I’m 52 years old and started volunteering in 2025. I’m active around Milan, where I discovered the ST Foundation.
Why did you decide to sign up as a volunteer?
Since I have some free time during the week, as my children are now grown up, I wanted to give something back to my community. I thought the ST Foundation was a great way to do it. As an engineer, I firmly believe that digitalization and STEM are essential for building a career or strengthening one. One of the various activities of the ST Foundation that I care about the most is its presence in schools. Meetings like the one I participated in are an opportunity for young women to receive testimonials and get closer to the STEM world, whose disciplines are still not a very common choice, mostly for cultural reasons.
Where was your last course delivered?
As part of the “Digital Professions Workshop” project carried out in collaboration with our partner ACRA, we also planned some orientation meetings for high school students in 2025. The meetings, lasting approximately 1 hour, were held in classrooms and conducted by ACRA trainers, involving 3 or 4 ST Foundation volunteers for each workshop. We shared our personal, educational, and professional stories to inspire young people to pursue their dreams and value their talents despite the difficulties. In January 2025, 8 meetings were held at the Torricelli Institute in Milan.
How will this course impact the beneficiaries?
The fifth-year students at the Torricelli Institute in Milan, who are almost graduates, are about to choose their future. These interventions bring them testimonials from the working world and offer a space for discussion and reflection.
Is this your first digital course?
Yes, I started following these courses through ACRA at the beginning of 2025. I use my free time because I believe this will greatly help young women improve their life chances by overcoming the cultural barriers that still condition them.
What is your best takeaway from this experience?
It was nice to be able to resolve some of the doubts and fears that the students expressed about their future careers, using my experience. It made me feel useful. I also received appreciation from the teacher because I was able to explain that there is also room for creativity and relationships with others in the workplace. I also greatly appreciated the fact that our volunteering testimonials at school were left quite free and spontaneous, although we were well moderated by the ACRA trainer who took turns asking us questions to make the event more dynamic.
Thank you very much, Francesca, for sharing your experience with us. It was truly enlightening.