Leonardo Romanelli, IST Class of 2014
Undergraduate degree in politics, economics and law at Sciences Po, Europe-Asia campus of Le Havre. Master’s degree in international development at Sciences Po, Paris.
How long did you attend IST?
I spent 17 years at IST, from the times of Tekken 3 and the first Harry Potter, until the end of the high school track in 2014, years by which man-made objects started landing on comets and the harlem shake was banging in the hallways.
What was your thesis title?
“The dark side of charity: a dilemma and a proposal for sustainable development”, in which I examined inefficiencies in foreign aid (ODA) and international philanthropy at tackling the root causes of poverty. It argued how ties of dependency between donors and recipients locked the poor in stagnation.
What was your IST House?
One and only K L E O S captained by the legendary Mr. S!
Unbeatable in sports, last of the class in the rest. In 5 years we never went to the amusement park and we still had more fun than anyone else on campus!
In what ways were you prepared for your future studies?
IST has taught and supported me into taking initiative, dreaming and transforming ideas into viable projects.
Most of all, it gave me the opportunity to have fun and create deep friendships with students, teachers and staff, which are fundamental and priceless characteristics in the healthy development of all children.
In Grade 5, you planned on being…?
I dreamt of becoming a scientist and a ski champion. I guess social sciences make me a ‘scientist’ today? 😉
What is your favorite memory from your years at IST?
Impossible to pick one, out of the many that come to my mind there was this time in some lost place in the English countryside where we spent the sunset rolling down green hills. One of those simple but rare moments in which you feel like nothing else exists, where you and your friends are just having the time of your life, left alone in a world suspended between the rest of space and time.
