Ciao! My name is Luca Di Pietro, I was born in a small village in the centre of Italy, near Rome, in March 1993. 

I’m a PhD candidate from Universidad Complutense of Madrid, and my thesis is about EU development policies in South America. Before this, in 2018 I did a double Master’s degree. One was in International Cooperation and Development from the University of Rome La Sapienza, and the other was in International Relations from Universidad del Norte de Barranquilla, Colombia.  In addition, in 2017, I also did a communication internship at the Ministry of Agriculture in Rome, and I also collaborated with different cultural projects as an Assistant Project Manager and Communications Assistant.

Thanks to the European programs, I have had a lot of opportunities to develop personal and professional skills. During my studies, I took part in two Erasmus+ programmes and also the European Solidarity Corps. Since then, for the last 4 years, I’ve been working, volunteering and collaborating in NGOs in Madrid, Lyon and Rome.

I am passionate about discovering new cultures, learning new languages and working methods, and listening to stories to grow and improve myself. Latin America is my greatest passion. I have had to live in Colombia and travel to Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. I publish international and geopolitical cooperation articles on Euro Latin Cooperation in Spanish and Italian.

I was lucky to have had the opportunity to study and complete university, thanks to my parents’ efforts. Still, the experiences abroad result from scholarships and opportunities made available by the European Union. Here, my determination was decisive in preparing the application, studying and finding the courage to leave.

Currently living in Brussels and working as a Project Manager at EucA & PhD candidate at the University Complutense of Madrid.

Here are some of the international experiences I have had:

• Six months of Erasmus+ at the Universidad Autonoma in Lisbon, Portugal;
• Six months of Erasmus+ at the Universidad Loyola in Cordoba, Spain;
• Six months of thesis research at Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia;
• One year of European Solidarity Corps at Yes Europa in Madrid, Spain;
• Six months as Press officer at Nuoveaux Espaces Latinos in Lyon, France.
• Six months as Communication trainee at the European Parliament, Luxembourg