She has been devoted to ballet since the tender age of four. By getting up on her toes, she has learned the value of discipline, precision and memorization. But now she has discovered a new passion, which embraces innovation, research, and prevention. Meet Anna Scopelliti, an ambitious Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology student at the University of Pavia and proud recipient of a Dompé Foundation scholarship.

«Ad maiora semper», which literally means «towards greater things» because that’s what I hope for in my life.

What I love the most about my degree is the multidisciplinary preparation. I love having a comprehensive view of all the topics covered in class. For example, when we study diseases, we try to explore and understand what different drug options we could have to treat them. In addition, I also like the practical side: we spend a lot of time in the lab, and this gives me the opportunity to get fully involved.

To me medical and pharmaceutical biotechnologies mean innovation, research, and above all, prevention.

My favorite hobby is dancing. I have been practicing it since I was four years old. I love all dance genres, but ballet has a special place in my heart. It teaches you the values of discipline, precision, and memorization. Unfortunately, I no longer dance as often as I would like, but I always try to carve out time to get up on my beloved pointe shoes.

There are several things I would like to do and accomplish this year. First of all, after graduation, I would like to get some practical experience by starting to work in a pharmaceutical company, and, as a consequence, become financially independent. Also, I’m considering the idea of undertaking a second-level Master's degree to specialize even more in the biotechnology field.

My dream job is to launch a biotech startup aimed at the development of drugs to treat all those diseases that, unfortunately, have no cure yet.

When I learned that I had won the Dompé Foundation scholarship, I felt moved and surprised, but especially proud and valued because I had been chosen among so many applicants.