Merit and Social Mobility: concludes the 2023 edition ME.MO project with the third and final residential meeting, including guests from the world of sports, such as marathon runner Daniele Meucci, interdisciplinary lectures and guidance activities

The conclusion of the project ME.MO. 2023, the guidance program, also supported by PNRR funding, which aims to support merit students from fragile socio-economic backgrounds to encourage a more informed university choice, is coming to an end. The last event for this edition is the residential meeting, in Pisa, scheduled from Tuesday, Sept. 5 to Thursday, Sept. 7, with the participation of more than 100 girls and boys selected from secondary schools from all over Italy. Opening at 3 p.m. Tuesday, September 5, in the Aula Magna, is a welcome address by Rector Sabina Nuti.

Study and sport: a possible pair for all

Sport and study continue to appear to be worlds that meet with difficulty, especially in contexts of marginality and fragility. In truth, combining sporting activity, even at the highest competitive levels, and an educational path of excellence is possible; indeed, sport and study can feed off each other. The proof comes from the experience of Daniele Meucci, an engineer, PhD in robotics from the University of Pisa and European champion marathon runner, who meets participants in the ME.MO. project on Tuesday, September 6, at 3 p.m., in dialogue with Andrea Tenucci, professor of Business Administration at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies as well as Triathlon athlete.

The discipline in which Daniele Meucci excels, the marathon, requires "head" and "legs", knowing how to dose the fatigue and efforts of a long and complicated path, to reach the finish line. In this journey, there is no shortage of exhilarating moments and more complex ones: the marathon can be read as a metaphor for a university path, to be faced with success and sometimes defeat. Learning to manage these moments and learning how to dose energy, skills, and motivation to face both the marathon and university studies are the themes at the center of Daniele Meucci's testimony.

Getting oriented and marveling

The rich program for the last residential meeting of the ME.MO. 2023 includes interdisciplinary lectures, with lecturers, researchers and leading figures to discuss together issues such as modernity, the future and conscious choices. In addition, participants have the opportunity to visit the European Gravitational Observatory EGO-VIRGO, in Cascina.

"We have reached the last residential internship in Pisa for ME.MO. participants for the 2022/2023 edition", stresses Rector Sabina Nuti, "with an extraordinary participation of a total among 360 girls and boys from all over Italy. We discussed choices and paths with them and tried to empower each one of them to design their own future, thanks to the suggestions of numerous professors, researchers and distinguished guests. This edition of ME.MO was an opportunity for growth not only for the participants and the Sant'Anna School community, but also for our 'country system'. ME.MO. is funded both through PNRR resources and by contributions from private individuals. It is a great achievement for us to converge public and private resources for the promotion of social mobility".