Ever since I was a kid, my biggest dreams always had to do with space. First, it was about finding out as much as I could about everything I saw in the night sky, then it briefly became about going to space myself until I crossed paths with Margherita Hack and Stephen Hawking’s books and decided I wanted to become an astrophysicist. In high school, I realised Physics and Maths were not my favourite classes and I enjoyed international politics and social sciences way more. My high school journey was largely influenced by the United Nations Models I got to attend, representing different UN countries in committees of the General Assembly. As soon as I found out about the existence of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, I knew I had found the right way to achieve my dream. After high school, I went on to study Political Science to then earn a Master's Degree in International Relations, graduating with a thesis on Space Traffic Management. I am currently attending a Master's Course in Space Institutions and Policies, and I can safely say that, to this day, pursuing a career in space law still has proven to be the perfect combination of astrophysics and international relations.

Only picking one thing is extremely hard as I am quite sure I could think of at least one anecdote for every week I spent working as an intern at ESA. The most challenging and exciting part of my job was the responsibility that came with being in the Director General’s Cabinet. All the interns felt included in the team right from the start, and we all knew we could always count on our supervisors. This was extremely important to us, especially when it came to the busy weeks leading up to last year’s Council Ministerial meeting, an extremely stimulating and enriching experience. One of the most fun and unique parts of my experience was undoubtedly getting to know and working with people that had different backgrounds, spacing from law to engineering and everything in between. Not only did I have the chance to work in a team of highly skilled individuals in law, international relations and space law, but being based at ESRIN, ESA’s establishment in Frascati, Rome, gave me the chance to also meet a lot of experts in earth observation, physics and astronomy. That is something I never took for granted and will treasure forever, as it allowed me to see many different sides of the Agency.

I am still trying to find a place in the non-tech part of the space sector myself, but if I had to give one piece of advice it would probably be what I always tell myself: never stop looking for the next big opportunity. In a field that sometimes feels intimidating for young people, it can be hard not to give up. The truth is that the sector is ever-growing and evolving and it is our job to keep up with its pace and make our way through. The universe is extremely big, and I am confident there will always be space for everyone.