May 26, 2022 – Yesterday evening in Bergamo, the local Intercultura center hosted an event dedicated to the students awarded scholarships under the 2022–23 academic year call for applications.
Among the attendees were some of the recipients of the Fondazione Pesenti scholarships, marking the continuation of the Foundation’s valuable collaboration with Intercultura.
This initiative has had a significant impact in the local area and has grown over the years into an outstanding educational project aimed at promoting internationalization and intercultural learning among young students in the province of Bergamo.
The collaboration between Fondazione Pesenti and Intercultura—launched during the 2009/2010 school year—has, over more than a decade, supported around 40 exceptional students who have had the opportunity to spend an entire academic year immersed in different educational, social, and cultural environments.
The scholarships for the 2022/23 school year were awarded to students residing in the province:
Luca Ripamonti year-long program in Mexico
Annalisa Riccardi year-long program in the Czech Republic
Omar Dominoni year-long program in Panama
Silvia Danesi year-long program in Thailand
Also present at the award ceremony were former scholarship recipients, such as Julia, who spent 2019 in Hong Kong. Now finishing high school, she is considering studying at a university abroad thanks to her Intercultura experience. Simona, who participated in the U.S. program, has enrolled in law school in Trento and aspires to work in European institutions.
The students
Luca Ripamonti
Program: year-long in Messico
School: “Federici” High School – Trescore Balneario (BG)
Luca lives in Trescore Balneario (BG) with his parents and two younger sisters. His mother is a hairdresser, and his father works as a metalworker. Luca has a close bond with his family and, as the eldest child, helps out at home by taking care of his sisters. He is sociable, curious, and passionate about foreign cultures.
He attends a language-focused high school, studying English, Spanish, and French with excellent grades. Outside school, he enjoys working out, listening to music, and watching films and TV series.
Luca dreams of exploring the world, which is why he chose to take part in the Intercultura program. He is eager to meet new people and discover different cultures and is ready to take on any challenges ahead.
Annalisa Riccardi
Program: year-long in the Czech Republic
School: Istituto Scolastico “Amaldi” – Alzano Lombardo (BG)
Annalisa lives in Alzano Lombardo (BG) with her mother, who works for a cooperative, and her younger sister. Her parents are separated, and her father, a gardener, lives in another city. She also has an older brother and sister who no longer live at home. Annalisa is determined, hard-working, helpful, and always ready to support others.
She attends a science-focused high school with a sports track and earns excellent grades. Her favorite subjects are math and physics. She loves sports like skiing, cycling, climbing, and hiking. She also takes part in extracurricular courses, including IT, and enjoys reading in her free time. In the future, she hopes to attend a military academy. She joined the exchange program to challenge herself and overcome her shyness.
Omar Dominoni
Programma: year-long in Panama
School: Istituto Scolastico “Valle Seriana” – Gazzaniga (BG)
Omar lives in Albino (BG) with his mother, a nurse, and his younger sister. He is independent, outgoing, and adaptable. His interest in science led him to choose a science-focused high school, where he performs very well. He is particularly interested in biology, physics, mechanics, and mathematics.
A sporty young man, Omar has been swimming for many years and enjoys cycling and running. Through the exchange experience, he hopes to integrate into a new environment and grow both personally and academically.
Silvia Danesi
Programma: year-long in Thailand
School: Istituto Scolastico “Giacomo e Pio Manzù’” – Bergamo
Silvia lives in Villongo (BG) with her parents, two older brothers, and one older sister. Her father is a craftsman, and her mother is a homemaker. Silvia has a strong bond with her family and is especially close to her older siblings. She is an open-minded, curious young woman who always gives her best in everything she does.
She attends an arts high school, where her favorite subjects are painting and sculpture. In her free time, she enjoys making aluminum jewelry and clay objects. She plays the horn in her local band, sings in a choir, and is part of the local scout group.
With Intercultura, she hopes to have a formative experience on a personal level, building friendships and getting to know a new culture.
Fondazione Pesenti aims to promote and spread a culture of innovation, understood as the development of ideas, projects, and actions that generate positive social, environmental, and cultural impact. The Foundation fosters modern forms of interaction between the public sector, private for-profit and non-profit sectors, by designing sustainable solutions to major social challenges. In addition to its traditional focus on protecting national historical-artistic heritage, educational and scientific programs, conferences, publications, and humanitarian and social solidarity projects, it now also supports initiatives that promote social enterprise—especially those developed by younger generations.
Associazione Intercultura Onlus has been promoting intercultural dialogue for over 60 years through international exchange programs that involve thousands of young people and families worldwide. It supports the internationalization of Italian schools through best practice examples and training sessions on exchange program management (it is an accredited training body for school staff at the Italian Ministry of Education). The association offers scholarships to promote international student mobility for deserving young people. Italy’s Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs are members of Fondazione Intercultura and support its activities.