By Mariachiara Catanzariti
This article is part of a series of portraits of graduating students.
In the bustling CREA (Cultural Centre for Amsterdam Students) Bar, surrounded by boisterous students after the annual TEDxAUC event, sits Greta Boccaletti, composed and professional, about to reflect on her latest memories in Amsterdam.
Boccaletti, a third-year Science major, explains she stumbled into AUC through familial ties, her sister having previously graduated from AUC. Inspired to begin a pivotal chapter of her life in a post-pandemic world full of uncertainty, she says she jumped headfirst into the all-consuming academic world of AUC and its parent universities. Reflecting upon her activities within the AUC community, she starts to list: “In my first year, I joined MUN as a logistics member. I joined TEDx as head of logistics and treasurer. I was part of the UCSRN as a general board member”.
Looking back on her second year, Boccaletti describes it as the most overwhelming period of her AUC experience. Her second year was intense, not just because of the already heavy academic pressure, but because she had the drive to push beyond it and explore every corner of AUC. Alongside her studies, she continued to immerse herself in the community: “I started off as an intro week mentee. I also was the chair of UCSRN, and I was the secretary of Dormfest”. She adds that, “obviously”, she was also active within AUCSA. Because of these commitments to the community in the previous years, she has now been made an honorary member.
Then, going into her third year, she comments to have told herself “no more”. “I was done. And I became an ambassador. I joined the Board of Studies as vice chair. I stayed in UCSRN as a logistics member, organizing the tournament”, she expresses.
As she finishes this recounting, one cannot help but be fascinated, almost preoccupied, by the amount of dedication and commitment she poured into these years. But for Boccaletti, AUC had always represented just that: a time of exploration, where one could find themselves through countless courses, committees, and CPI-opportunities.
From growing mouse muscle tissue in a hospital lab to working in the Neuroscience Department, helping with brain dissections and contributing to the completion of a PhD thesis, it is obvious that Boccaletti has found a core passion in her studies: neuroscience. She describes it as an incredibly complicated field, shaped both by the objective reality of science and by the fragility of the human brain. For Boccaletti, this fragility makes neuroscience feel deeply personal. She points out that many people know older relatives or loved ones affected by Alzheimer’s or dementia, and that these diseases are likely to become even more common. This awareness motivates her to keep studying, in the hope that she may one day become a helping hand for someone in need. Her passion for neuroscience is also rooted in the connection between the mind and the self. As she reflects, “the mind is truly like the soul of the body. You are your opinions, your ideas, your fears, your concerns”.
Concluding her reflection of her chosen academic path, she states: “I loved cognitive psychology as well, brain and cognition. But I think I’ve now found a niche that I’m comfortable with, a nice little gap, as we like to say in the research. So I’m confident that things will go well in the future and they’ll be challenging, but I’m more excited than scared”.
When asked about the future, Boccaletti smiles, her expression glinting with pride. This autumn, she will head to Oxford to continue work that first began during her years at AUC. She will soon step into an even more professional environment, with more opportunities and challenges, but a character like Boccaletti cannot be discouraged: “Not knowing what to expect means that everything could go amazing. And sure, everything could also go badly. But then you know that you have a safe route back here”.
For Boccaletti, uncertainty does not seem to close doors, but open them.“ I just hope everyone ventures off and experiences new things. And then I hope that everyone feels like they can make an impact. Because we are all just individuals, but then together we can make big changes. So I hope everyone is just as excited to pursue their futures as I am”, she stops, and considers: “Because I think it’s exhilarating to not know what’s going to happen next”.
She does not leave without a parting glance: “I wish all the best to my fellow graduates. But I also wish all the best to those staying”. Her words extend beyond a simple goodbye. “I think a lot of things might change in the next few years, because the world is very uncertain. But then we just have to hope, we have to try to do our best, so that the outcomes can hopefully reflect those intentions. And just try to be good people, honestly”.
Amid CREA’s lingering noise, Boccaletti leaves behind a quiet sense of certainty: “The sky’s the limit, truly”.
The Herring 