My experience atUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma since its foundation

29 March, 2021 - The university years are those in which the students form, decide their path and understand that they are called, with their vitality and planning, to do their part - today in school, tomorrow in society. Enrica Amadio Zennaro, Head of the Degree Courses Secretariat, has for years represented the dedication and commitment of those who work every day to offer young people the tools for their training. 

How were the first years atUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma? How was the University born, what requests did it respond to, how has it evolved over the years?

Since it was presented to me, I immediately understood that the project UCBM it would be a new adventure. Most of all I was passionate about the training project already shared with the students, with its emphasis not only on professional training, but also on human training to prepare them for life's challenges. In the first headquarters in via Longoni, we were still few and the roles were not very divided. We were the protagonists! I still remember the very first events organized, the first Christmas parties, the first graduation sessions with the robes for the Commission rented from a shop near the University…

Since then we have grown a lot: UCBM it was among the first universities in Italy to develop personal and discipline tutoring, and innovative teaching. Even today, despite the fact that the Trigoria office is larger and hosts a greater number of students, we still experience that close relationship of complicity between employees, students, teachers and families that characterized the early years, and which is a cornerstone for us.

You have known many students over the years. Were there any instances where you helped them grow through hardships by encouraging them to discover their own resources? What are the characteristics and strengths of the University?

I met many students, with some of whom I developed a deep, almost maternal relationship. It is something that we also try to pass on to the new generations who come to work in UCBM.

I found myself in the situation of helping a parent who was worried because his son wanted to give up his studies. I asked to speak to the student who reluctantly entered my office. He looked down, without speaking, with dull eyes, and his mother was waiting for him in the car (Enrica gets excited). I told him 'We all have problems; the problems must be faced…You will certainly find support from the University. If this speech convinces you, I'm here, come back whenever you want and let's plan the work'. I reported the problem to a couple of teachers in order to develop the teaching aid. I also advised the student on psychological support. A great job was done all together, at 360 degrees: University side, medical side, the boy's will. I met the student in the corridors, smiling: he has regained his joy and will to live. He graduated and told us he was grateful for the help he was offered in a particularly dark time. It was impossible to hold back the tears.

How did you manage to develop a relationship of respect and trust with the students' families? Did this emotional bond remain even after graduation?

The relationship begins at the time of enrollment, when the students come to enroll accompanied by their parents, a relationship of trust and sympathy is immediately established which strengthens over time. Often the boys ask me for a hand to organize graduation parties for their friends, for example by providing the classic jokes with the faces of the teachers. There is an atmosphere of sharing, of belonging. With many boys and their families a friendship was born that lasts over time with much affection. There are students around Italy or around the world who come to visit me when they can and we meet with the same initial warmth. Each of their successes is also ours, this sort of complicity strengthens our initial project; is our business card, which in my opinion is worth more than many words.