EU Careers: the experiences and career paths of the Sant’Anna School alumni and alumnae
A mentoring event to bring Sant’Anna students closer to careers within the institutions of the European Union.
On 30 April 2026, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna hosted the thematic mentoring event “EU Careers: the experiences and career paths of Sant’Anna School alumni and alumnae,” organised in collaboration with the Career Service as part of the School’s annual guidance activities.
The initiative, promoted by the CASCO student commission and Leonardo Ricci, a student in Political Science and EU Student Career Ambassador for the Sant’Anna School, was part of the activities promoted by EPSO through the Student Career Ambassador project, which aims to foster encounters between students from European universities and the world of European Union institutions.
The event, introduced and moderated by Leonardo Ricci, was opened with institutional greetings from Prof. Edoardo Bressanelli, Vice-Rector for Guidance and Social Mobility, who highlighted the importance of initiatives such as this one in the educational pathway of Sant’Anna students.
The School was pleased to welcome one alumna and three alumni who, after completing their studies at Sant’Anna, went on to pursue leading careers within European institutions, becoming a point of reference and an inspiration for new generations of students: Stefano Grassi (Political Science), Director of the Secretariat-General of the European Commission; Maria Olimpia Barros Pinto (Law), Policy Coordinator for trade matters at the European Commission; Luca Barani (Political Science), Policy Officer at the European Commission; Lorenzo Bartalini (Economics), Banking Supervision Analyst at the ECB.
Through their testimonies, the speakers shared their professional experiences and the paths that led them to hold positions of responsibility within European institutions, offering students concrete insights and practical guidance on how to pursue a career in EU affairs.
The event thus represented an important moment of exchange and inspiration, highlighting the strong connection between the Sant’Anna School and the European dimension, as well as the value of its educational path in preparing new generations to face the challenges of the international institutional context.
