Hi, my name is Emanuela, and I am in the final year of my Master’s program in Mechatronic Engineering, specializing in e-mobility.

I grew up in Rieti, a small city near Rome that is historically known as the geographical center of Italy. My university journey began in 2021 when I enrolled in the bachelor’s program in Automotive Engineering in English. The decision was prompted by the fact that the Italian-taught course was structured inconsistently: in the first year, most exams were in Italian, while in the second and third years, the majority were in English. Hence, enrolling directly in the English-taught program made more sense to me.

In the first two years, I attended classes with Mechanical Engineering students. Needless to say, there were very few women. There were only five of us in total, and in Automotive, I was the only one. A bit sad, but I have to say I was fortunate because I met amazing friends who always treated me with respect and as an equal, never making me feel inferior. The Automotive group became like a family to me.

Challenging Undergraduate Years
The undergraduate years were far from easy. Unfortunately, I had to complete my first year entirely online due to the pandemic, which didn’t help at all. My first exam was Calculus 1, and for some inexplicable reason, I did very well. That made me think, “Politecnico isn’t that hard.” Spoiler alert: it absolutely is. I failed the Chemistry quiz shortly after. It took me four attempts to pass Chemistry. The summer session was even worse: I managed to pass only Technical Drawing, and with a very low grade. It was a tough year, and I often felt like giving up, but my dream was bigger, and I kept going.

In September, I moved to Turin to start my second year, still needing to pass Physics 1 and Linear Algebra. A funny story about Linear Algebra—I only passed it at the end of my third year, and not without difficulties, despite it being considered one of the easiest subjects. During that time, I felt a bit behind compared to others. Ironically, a subject I initially hated and found extremely difficult has now become the foundation of my master’s studies and probably my future career.

From the first day, I met wonderful people who stayed with me throughout the bachelor’s program. In class, there were about 30 of us between Mechanical and Automotive students. Our Mechanical friends were incredibly diligent, always sitting in the front row, studying, and giving their all. Meanwhile, we often arrived late to lectures and usually sat in the back row, especially during Thermodynamics classes, where we spent the first 30 minutes eating lunch. Despite everything, we always supported each other. The best part came during the exam sessions—we practically lived together.

I, living closest to the university, was the one who reserved spots in Study Room 1 (the “noisy” one) every morning at 7:45. We spent hours there studying, joking, crying, and laughing together.

Graduation and Moving Forward
In July of my third year, some of us graduated, and our group began to shrink. I graduated in March 2024, but even though we took different paths, we stayed in touch. We still have our WhatsApp and Instagram groups, where we share silly car-related memes.

Meanwhile, even as I was busy completing my bachelor’s degree, I started my master’s in Mechatronics in October 2023. It wasn’t easy to embark on a new adventure while wrapping up another. Unfortunately, I didn’t fully realize what graduating meant, as it happened while I was already in the midst of my master’s classes. I didn’t have time to savor this small milestone.

The master’s program, however, has flown by. Now, as I near the end, I can hardly believe it. It’s been so fast and demanding. Alongside my academic journey, I’ve always maintained a busy personal life. I’ve spent most weekends working as a rally race track marshal. Since last year, I’ve been part of the Squadra Corse Driverless team, and since my first year in Turin, I’ve also tutored high school students. Additionally, I volunteer with TEDxTorino.

I’m sharing this list to show that university doesn’t stop you from having a life outside of studying. I won’t claim I succeeded thanks to extraordinary organizational skills—because I’m probably the least organized person you’ll meet. I’ve experienced many periods of burnout, to the point of nearly facing depression. What helped me through the toughest moments, especially when I felt overwhelmed, were the people I was fortunate enough to meet along the way. The right people, at the right time, helped me feel better and live more peacefully without even trying.

Despite the many difficult times, if I could go back, I would do everything the same way, mistakes included, because they are an integral part of my growth and personal fulfillment.

The only advice I would give is to live your university journey without being influenced by others. In the end, everyone has their own pace and way of experiencing things.