My name is Valerio Dalla Torre; I graduated from John Cabot University in 2015 with a major in International Affairs. My University career did not start in the most promising way. After high school, I decided to study law at an Italian university. For two years I forced myself to study law, only to later realize that my struggles were due to an environment that I didn't find stimulating, and a lack of love for the subject I studied.
After this realization, I decided to transfer to John Cabot. From the very start, I knew that I could do better in this environment. The advising and tutoring system helped me understand what I was really interested in, while the possibility of choosing between various subjects in the first year without having to commit immediately to one major was a relief. Classes were not meant to be just lectures. Professors interacted with students and combined different learning methods. Assignments varied to combine practical skills and theoretical knowledge. By the end of the first semester, after taking Professor Driessen’s class on International Affairs, I knew what the focus of my academic career would be.
The influence JCU has had on both my career and my life in general is not limited to the educational system.
After graduation, I moved to New York City to earn a Master's degree in Energy Policy and Security at New York University. Here, I learned to perform in the hyper-competitive U.S. university system and the New York job market. It goes without saying that had I not transferred to JCU, none of this would have been possible. John Cabot was the perfect trampoline for my international career.
Today, I work at the European Parliament in Brussels as an assistant to a politician. In my everyday work, I still apply the skills learned at JCU. When I write a speech, amend legislation, advise the deputy on political decisions, or negotiate with other offices, I am combining writing, public speaking, and especially critical thinking, all skills I started developing during my JCU days.
I will forever be grateful to the University, the professors, and the staff, because as I often say to my friends, going to JCU was the choice that changed my life and one of the best I have ever made.
Valerio Dalla Torre
Class of 2015
International Affairs major
Hometown: Rome, Italy