Amici di Bologna is an association of SAIS Europe alumni, staffed by volunteers and funded entirely by alumni donations. Its mission is two-fold: to support SAIS Europe and to help Bolognesi maintain their ties to each other and to the school.

Established in 2007, Amici has organized an annual dinner and reception in New York City and Washington DC for the past 19 years. These dinners, which include an academic symposium featuring SAIS faculty, have become one of the largest gatherings of SAIS alumni anywhere in the United States. Each year they attract guests from across the U.S. and around the world.

Amici di Bologna 2024 Committee members:

• Adele Barzelay, B'16, '17
• Yseult Gibert B'23, '24
• Patricia Hartendorp, B'09, '10
• David Snyder B'81, '82, Co-Chair
• Zachary McCutcheon, B'19, '20
• Andres Morana, B'22, '23
• Maddalena Perretti, B'16, '17
• Molly Shutt, B'19, '20
• Colleen Sullivan, B'21, B'22
• Tom Tesluk, B'81, '82, Co-Chair

If you would like to join the Steering Committee and participate in the event planning and other social activities, please email Steering Committee Chairman Adele Barzelay.

In 2020 the Amici di Bologna Steering Committee to honor the Bologna Center's 65th anniversary established the Amici di Bologna Student Fund. It stems from the Amici di Bologna Fellowship, established in 2015 and supported by the generosity of many Bolognesi, but has an expanded goal to support SAIS Europe students in three different but equally important ways:

• Fellowship
  Fellowship support alleviates the cost of tuition on students and opens up the SAIS doors to a broader and diverse range of applicants. Since its inception, the Amici di Bologna Fellowship benefitted 28 students from a dozen nationalities.
  
  This year, the Amici di Bologna Fellowship recipients are:
  
  
  • Ms. Elizabeth Yang (USA/South Korea) - B'24
    Current SAIS student in Washington
  
  
  View Past Recipients ⇩

  
  

  • Mr. Oleksander Tymoshenko (Ukraine) - B'24
    Current SAIS student in Bologna
  
  
  • Ms. Rana Abdolvahabi Nejad (Canada) - B'23, '24
    Current SAIS student in Washignton DC
  
  
  • Mr. Louis Martin-Vezian (France) - B'23, '24
    Founder and CEO, CIGeography, Washington, D.C.
  
  
  • Mr. Alexander Giordano (Canada/Italy) - B'23
    Political Risk Contributor, S&P Global; Editor, Maple Insider, Washington, D.C.
  
  
  • Mr. Adam Taylor (USA/UK) - B'23
    Management Consultant, Accenture, Washington, D.C.
  
  
  • Ms. Malin Irgens (Norway/Sweden) - B'22, '23
    Senior Consultant, Sustainability Advisory & Assurance at PwC Denmark
  
  
  • Ms. Seonjin Kim (South Korea) - B'22, '23
    Research Analyst, Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Washington, D.C.
  
  
  • Mr. Ivan Pineda (USA/Colombia) - B'21, '22
    Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
  
  
  • Ms. Pilar Maria Bolognesi (Italy) - B'21, '22
    Researcher, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Brussels
  
  
  • Mr. Lopo De Castro Neto (Brazil) - B'20, '21
    Project Finance Specialist – Renewable Energy –Vice President – Commerzbank AG, New York, USA
  
  
  • Ms. Emma Bapt (USA/France) - B'20, '21
    Research Associate at United Nations University Center for Policy Research, New York
  
  
  • Ms. Yujin Xie (China) - B'20, '21
    Consultant at SynTao, Beijing, China
  
  
  • Ms. Sara Sharif (Italy/Jordan) - B'20, '21
    Labour and Education Consultant, EY, Rome
  
  
  • Mr. Baran Cansever (USA/Turkey) - B'19, '20
    Financial Institution Policy Analyst at Federal Reserve Board, Washington, D.C.
  
  
  • Ms. Sannidhi Srinivasan (India) - B'19, '20
    Last known employment: Consultant, Supply Chains and Nutrition at Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
  
  
  • Mr. Simon Aborn (USA) - B'18, '19
    VP – Country Risk Stress Testing, Global Country Risk Management at Citi, NYC
  
  
  • Ms. Chiara Kessler (Netherlands/Italy) - B'18, '19
    Assistant Manager – Deloitte, Zurich, Switzerland
  
  
  • Mr. Francisco Parada Srepel (Chile) - B'18, '19
    Consultant at International Finance Corporation, Santiago, Chile
  
  
  • Ms. Karina Asbjornsen (Norway) - B'17, '18
    Deputy Head of Mission at the Norwegian Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal
  
  
  • Mr. Castro Amponsah-Yeboah (Ghana) - B'17, '18
    
  
  
  • Ms. Mona Damian (Germany/Australia) - B'17, '18
    Cyber Threat Investigator at LinkedIn, Washington, D.C.
  
  
  • Mr. Khrystian Pereira (Brazil) - B'17, '18
    Program Support Specialist, Government Consulting, Nakupuna Companies
  
  
  • Ms. Melanie Snail (USA) - B'17, '18
    Project Manager and Consultant, United Arab Emirates
  
  
  • Ms. Fatima Hewaidi (Libya/Canada) - B'16, '17
    Market Intelligence Officer - Middle East, Barclays Private Bank, Geneva
  
  
  • Ms. Ulla-Stina Henttonen (Finland) - B'16, '17
    Fulbright Scholar at the George Washington University, Editor - North America at the Ulkopolitist
  
  
  • Ms. Fatima Nanavati (Canada) - B'16, '17
    USA Content Lead – Reddit Inc.
  
  
  • Ms. Sarah Piccini (Italy/USA) - B'16, '17
    Food Systems for Healthy Diets at the World Food Programme, Washington, D.C.

  
  


• Internships
  Allowing students to choose their internship experience disregarding of industry sector and remuneration is an impactful way to allow students to take advantage of the myriad opportunities of an international career and encourages them to pursue their professional goals.
  
  
  View Interns Recipients ⇩

  
  

  • Mr. Lucas Keller (France) - B'23
    German Marshal Fund (GMF), Warsaw
  
  
  • Ms. Vanina Morrison (USA/Bulgaria) - B'23
    Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Budapest
  
  
  • Ms. Giorgia Renoldi (Italy) - B'23
    Parlamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, San Marino
  
  
  • Mr. William Butler (USA) - B'22
    Intern at FAO, Rome, Italy
  
  
  • Ms. Serena Migliorati (Italy) - B'22
    Intern at PAM (Parlamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean), Naples, Italy
  
  
  • Ms. Sarah Rahman (India) - B'21
    Regional Grants Analyst at International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
  
  
  • Ms. Isabella Barsalona (USA) - B'21
    Conflicts Research Assistant at Covington & Burling LLP, Washington, DC
  
  
  • Ms. Erin Jones (USA) - B'21
    
  
  
  • Ms. Hillary Sun (China) - B'21
    Communications and Advocacy Assistant at UNA – NCA, Washington, DC
  
  
  • Mr. Minwoo Jo (South Korea) - B'21
    
  
  
  • Mr. Andrea Bruno (Italy) - B'21
    Bluebook Trainee at the European Commission, Co-Founder of the Climate Route APS, Brussels, Belgium


• Experiential Learning
  SAIS puts equal emphasis on in-class learning as well as learning on the field and by experience. Supporting experiential learning opportunities - such as study trips and career treks - gives students a comparative advantage in their preparation and future career.


View Past Recipients ⇩


• Mr. Martin Wendiggensen (Germany) - B'22 '23
  Funds supported the costs related to his research that produced an extended research paper titled: "Think Like Me – How China’s Message Machine Transforms Discourse Concepts Into Discourse Power"


• Mr. Alec Fiorini (USA) - B'22 '23
  Funds supported a trip to a migrant labor camp in Puglia and in a nearby town to research how competing political players on the Italian left reflect, distort, and instrumentalize the migrant labor force in Italy's south.

All funds raised will be equally split among these areas and will secure maximum outreach and benefit to the students as they go through their experience at SAIS Europe. To get involved in the initiative please contact the Bologna Center development staff.

Make a pledge and/or a gift now on our Online Donations page.

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