Close-ups

What position do you hold at the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage?
I work in the Educational programmes office. My main tasks are to support the teaching staff of the courses in Philosophy, Philosophical Sciences, Social Sciences and Social Work, Labour, Social Citizenship, Interculturalism, for processes linked both to Quality Assurance and to the range of programmes; to manage procedures for public competitions for lecturers and for specialist tutoring activities for all degree programmes in the Department.
I am a member of the Departmental Council as a representative of the technical-administrative staff.

What was your background before Ca’ Foscari?
My adventure at Ca' Foscari started almost by chance. I had recently left the editorial staff of a magazine after ten years and an acquaintance of mine gave me (by hand, on paper!) a call for applications for a fixed-term position at Ca' Foscari. I had worked for a fixed term in other public administrations but never in a university. From contract to contract, fixed-term and/or freelance, while I continued to work as a freelance journalist for a couple of newspapers, in 2008 I got the qualification via a public competition for a permanent position and.... here I am!

What satisfies you the most in your job?
In university teaching, changes and innovations also have an impact on administrative staff, who are required to adapt their skills rapidly to changes. Working in the Educational Programmes Office is a continuous evolution, it requires that you keep on training and acquiring operational tools, and it is precisely this progress that makes my job more satisfying, because it lets me learn all the time, test myself with new things and above all not alienate myself in a boring job.

What additional skills do you feel you have acquired in your current job?
I have acquired a number of soft skills, in the form of behavioural traits which, regardless of my secondary role, have enriched me both as a Department resource and as a human. Interaction, listening, mitigating potential conflicts, creating a supportive environment among co-workers, working in a team, for instance, are qualities that I have refined over time and that, combined with experience, have improved my operational performance.

Is there anything you are particularly passionate about working in such a special environment as a university?
I am moved by the thought of contributing, to the extent of my competence, to the growth of students, because they are our future, the society to come, the women and men who, with their skills and knowledge, will take our country forward, I hope in the best possible way.

What is the area you want to be involved in but have not yet had the opportunity to explore?
I would consider the opportunity to work, even temporarily, in a sort of inter-office exchange, on communication and events, areas that I have experienced in the past but have only touched on in the University.