I’m Cecilia and I’m 28, born and raised in the middle of the alps. I'm a sports lover, and an avid reader. I've got a B.A. in Political Science, and an MA. in International Relations from the University of Pavia, Italy. During those years I’ve been an exchange student first at the University of Warsaw, Poland, then at the University of Antwerp, Belgium.

While at University, I engaged actively in work with asylum seekers and refugees. Once graduated, I moved to Mexico to work as a migrants' rights advocate. After this experience, I had the fortune to serve for the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples' Mechanism (CSM) for relations with the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS), based in FAO. Through this experience, I discovered a real passion for agriculture, food security, and nutrition and I’ve learned about grassroots organisations and their struggle to have their voices heard and to participate directly in the decisions that affect their lives. I firmly believe in the importance of CSOs engagement in policy processes, and I’m a strong supporter of the human rights-based approach they bring forward.

I then moved to Brussels for a brief experience working in DG Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission that deepened my understanding of the EU Common Agricultural Policy.

Finally, two years ago I moved back to Rome, to work as a World Bank consultant for the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP). Working on operations revealed to me the importance of quantitative methods in the evaluation of development policies, determinant in my decision to enrol in this Masters' Degree. I hope this master will provide me with solid quantitative tools needed to analyze the implementation of development policies at the field level and how these impact smallholder farmers globally. The aim is to use this knowledge to give my little contribution to the efforts towards a more just, fair, and equal society for all.