Ever since I was little, I always had a dream. The dream to move away from the small town where I was born, in Sicily, and build a new, better life in another country. Although I always felt that moving abroad is what I truly wanted for myself, I chose differently and decided to start my studies in Italy. At 18, right after finishing high school, I moved to northern Italy to study at the University of Turin and to be near to the girlfriend I had at the time as well as all my closest friends from childhood. Even if back then I wasn’t aware of it, I slowly understood that I had been driven to that decision by fear. Fear that I would lose all my friends, my girlfriend, fear of failing to study in another language in a completely different country, in essence fear of the unknown. I chose to stay in Italy because it was a much easier and more comfortable alternative. I knew how the system worked, I knew exactly what I had to do in order to succeed at university, all my closest friends surrounded me, and I could be with my girlfriend. Not much had changed; most things in my life had remained the same. I had taken no risks; I just opted for what was safer, less challenging and required the least effort. It took me time to realize that I had made a big mistake. Moving abroad clearly represented a much more significant risk than the one I had taken. After recognizing that my decision was hurting my possibilities to grow and pursue something I truly wanted, I decided that taking on the challenge and pursue the harder path was worth trying. What I learned is that every decision we make, both professionally and in our personal lives, has the potential to change our future radically. I learned that in many situations opting for the harder alternative as opposed to the easier one can lead to very positive outcomes. I genuinely believe that doing what’s challenging, reflecting upon my mistakes, and taking risks is what determines the success and level of satisfaction of my life. As a result of this experience, I’m very happy to report that I moved to Denmark, where I recently completed my undergraduate degree. It has been an amazing journey full of meaningful experiences that impacted me positively and broadened my perspective. I am now, once again, about to take on the more challenging path. The one that I believe provides the biggest possibilities to grow. I just moved to the United States in August, a country full of opportunities and that I strongly believe to be the ideal place for me to kick-start my entrepreneurial career and focus on solving issues that affect the life of many. The experience above has taught me a valuable lesson that ultimately has gotten me closer to the kind of life I dream about. In relation to career, the experience of studying at the University of San Francisco will serve as a springboard for long- term achievements. The long-term professional goals can be summarized to start businesses in the best interest of humankind. In this regard, I aim to create companies using exponential and disruptive technologies such as AI, robotics, and biotech, particularly I strive to commit myself to solve some of the world's most significant issues concerning energy, revolutionising the banking experience, and, if possible, food waste issues. The entrepreneurial skills acquired at the University of San Francisco will converge with my previous knowledge, future goals, and ambitions.

I believe the biggest problem we face today to be climate change and its negative effects on the planet, specifically on poorer populations. The way we make things, generate electricity, move from one place to another, and grow food is highly unsustainable. Most of what we do today either causes temperatures to rise, pollutes water, or damages the environment from which our lives depend on. It can be difficult to pinpoint one single way to tackle the biggest problem of our generation, but if I had to pick one, I would choose diet education. Particularly, I believe the key is to focus on educating people about the actual emissions of the foods they eat on a daily basis, as well as debunking the myth that plant-based diets do not contain all the nutrients needed for the body to thrive. Eating plant-based can make the biggest difference in cutting emissions, much more than using less plastic or changing a light bulb can do. Animal agriculture, livestock, and their byproducts are responsible for as much as 51% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The issue is that many are not aware of the above, although humanity has an immediate way to act towards solving climate change, the lack of collective knowledge prevents it from doing so. Therefore, I believe focusing on educating people about the issue is the first step in the right direction. This can be done by pushing for the implementation of educative programs that involve providing fact-based information related to the emissions of widely adopted diets, valid alternatives, health, and environmental benefits. Developing clear messaging and spreading information through documentaries can also be valid educative means. For there to be hope, raising awareness and making daily dietary choices based on the new acquired information is vital, particularly in richer countries.

“Meaningful growth requires challenge” Alessandro Amenta Ever since I was little, I always had a dream. The dream to move away from the small town where I was born, in Sicily, and build a new, better life in another country. Although I always felt that moving abroad is what I truly wanted for myself, I chose differently and decided to start my studies in Italy. At 18, right after finishing high school, I moved to northern Italy to study at the University of Turin and to be to the girlfriend I had at the time as well as all my closest friends from childhood. Even if back then I wasn’t aware of it, I slowly understood that I had been driven to that decision by fear. Fear that I would lose all my friends, my girlfriend, fear of failing to study in another language in a completely different country, in essence fear of the unknown. I chose to stay in Italy because it was a much easier and more comfortable alternative. I knew how the system worked, I knew exactly what I had to do in order to succeed at university, all my closest friends surrounded me, and I could be with my girlfriend. Not much had changed; most things in my life had remained the same. I had taken no risks; I just opted for what was safer, less challenging and required the least effort. It took me time to realize that I had made a big mistake. Moving abroad clearly represented a much more significant risk than the one I had taken. After recognizing that my decision was hurting my possibilities to grow and pursue something I truly wanted, I decided that taking on the challenge and pursue the harder path was worth trying. What I learned is that every decision we make, both professionally and in our personal lives, has the potential to change our future radically. I learned that in many situations opting for the harder alternative as opposed to the easier one can lead to very positive outcomes. I genuinely believe that doing what’s challenging, reflecting upon my mistakes, and taking risks is what determines the success and level of satisfaction of my life. As a result of this experience, I’m very happy to report that I moved to Denmark, where I completed my undergraduate studies. It has been an amazing journey full of meaningful experiences that impacted me positively and broadened my perspective. I am now, once again, about to take on the more challenging path. The one that I believe provides the biggest possibilities to grow. I will be moving to the United States in August, a country full of opportunities and that I strongly believe to be the ideal place for me to kick-start my career and focus on solving issues that affect the life of many. The quote above has taught me a valuable lesson that ultimately has gotten me closer to the kind of life I dream about.