"La Farnesina is a dream that I hope will one day come true. Serving my country as a diplomat is the North Star that guides my efforts, even though right now I’m keeping my feet on the ground."
A few weeks ago, after earning a degree at LUISS in Law and taking the Intensive preparation course for the foreign service exam at the School of Government, Nicola Grillo began the Foreign Service Programme at the University of Oxford. The opportunity to pursue his dream of becoming a diplomat was already ensured by the Ermenegildo Zegna Founder's Scholarship, a scholarship from the Italian fashion brand offered to the most deserving students at the Polytechnic University of Milan, the Polytechnic University of Turin, Bocconi University, the Catholic University of Milan, the University of Milan, the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and LUISS Guido Carli University.
After receiving word that he was admitted, he began looking for scholarships and, after a few weeks, he came across a philanthropic initiative of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, one of the few that was not aimed at training human capital. "When I applied for one of the scholarships, LUISS immediately considered me and, after an interview with the vice provost in charge of research, Leonardo Morlino, my application was forwarded to the Zegna Group. I was truly honored by the trust LUISS had in me."
Nicola’s desire to become a diplomat comes from his family, which has a "long legal tradition," but was whetted by an internship at the Commission for Foreign Affairs at the European Parliament. "It was an incredibly moving and enlightening experience. I had the pleasure and privilege of working at the office of President Elmar Brok, a real institution among European bodies." In three months, Nicola took part in a number of Commission sessions and several private meetings with representatives of the diplomatic corps of different nations. "My job included doing research and preparing reports on the topics of the negotiations for the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) and drafting speeches for President Brok for his visit to Istanbul for the reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia. But as a mere intern, I didn’t turn down anything, even making coffee."
He discovered the program at the University of Oxford on the internet when he was researching programs for young diplomats at the beginning of their careers. "Every year the Foreign Service Programme admits around twenty students from countries all over the world and it is very competitive. My colleagues and I compare it to the famous film The Hunger Games." Of the twenty students selected, in fact, only around ten will get the Postgraduate Diploma and of these only five, based on the quality of their research, will be admitted to the Master of Studies in Diplomatic Studies and write another research paper. "Like the film’s protagonist, I will fight with all my strength to become, at the end of the Trinity term, one of the winners of the games better known as the 46th Foreign Service Programme."
Today, more than a month into the program, Nicola has already made valuable contacts in various countries and taken a step towards his big dream. "When I began my internship in Brussels, I wasn’t fully clear on what my professional ambitions were. My experience at the European Commission was a launching pad for my admission to Oxford as well as a way of clarifying my ideas. I realized that diplomats are not just elegant servants of the state who simply follow the directives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but above all refined strategists who can leave a tangible mark on the development of a nation’s foreign policy.”