ASCINATION WITH THE HUMAN BODY

I grew up in a quite ordinary middle class family. My mother is a middle school science
teacher, my father was a lawyer and I also have an older sister who is currently doing a
phD in geophysics. Since I was little my parents always made sure that I had all the
necessary means to get the best learning experience that I could get. This led our family
to move from our small town in a bigger city, with some of the best schools in the
country, to give us a better education than what we could have had in the place where
we were born. They also ensured that we were constantly exposed to all sorts of
information trough reading and also through the clever use of more modern means such
as television and internet. Growing up in such an environment made me an extremely
curious person and I have been -and still am- constantly intrigued by the chance of
learning new things. It's all thanks to them and their sacrifices that I managed to get
where I wanted to, because they not only encouraged me to pursue my dreams but also
gave me the means to fight for them,

As to why I decided to become a doctor, well I remember being fascinated by my

mother's anatomy books when I was little and I was intrigued by how the human body
worked and how a disease interfered with its normal functioning, but it wasn't until I met
my high school science professor that I began to desire to pursue a career in medicine.
Once she detected my interest in this particular field she encouraged me to joined some
more medicine focused extra curricular activities and by the end of the school year I
knew that that was what I really wanted to do in my life.

After being successfully admitted to the College of Medicine in University of Siena, I

began this journey that I dreamt of so much. Even though the first years were tough, I
remember discovering it was all worth it during my first clerkship. There is nothing that
can explain how do you feel when you see exactly what all those nights spent on books,
all the frustration and the stress are needed for. There I realized what a huge impact our
choice has on people lives. Of course we all kind of know that we are in charge of
people's lives, but I don't think one can fully understand it until he sees the sheer
gratitude in the patient's eyes and suddenly I found myself driven by a different force.
During my clerkships I developed an early interest in plastic surgery, especially I was
fascinated by the head and neck oncology surgery. From my fourth year up to my sixth
year I began an elective clerkship, along as my regular ones, in that field and it led me to
fantastic opportunities, such as an hands-on course at the University René Descartes of
Paris. During those two years I came to realize that among the many branches of the
medical science, I had found the one that was made for me. (In my last year I was also
offered to work on a very interesting study about the organic causes of anxiety and
depression. It was an incredibly interesting study and due to my natural curiosity towards
new things I was tempted by one of the last chances to learn something new. So in
agreement with my plastic surgery professor, who always indulged my inquisitive side, I
accepted and surprised everyone graduating with a psychiatry oriented thesis. )

Even though I graduated with top grades and passed my license exam in the top 5% of
the nation, I did not plan to immediately began with a residency as I wanted to progress
my studies further in my field of interest. Italy has quite a new school of plastic surgery
and still there so no much investment in developing it further, therefore I knew that if I
wanted to further my knowledge I had to go abroad. When I had to choose my
destination, I had no doubt that it was Korea. I have been interested in south-eastern
Asia since I was in high school and particularly I have always been fond of Korea and its
culture. When I began to be interested in plastic surgery as well, it didn't take me long to
discover that among all the things that fascinated me before, the Country also had the
best plastic surgery school in the world. Top class technology paired with the world's
highest investment in scientific research is something that I could never have in my
home country. In addition Korea is also an old country with lot of history and it took its
well deserved relevant place in the modern world without giving up its traditional values.
I'm sure that progressing with my studies in such an environment would not only be
beneficial to me as a professional but also as a person and I always believed that in our
field one can't be a good doctor without being a good person first. All those reasons
make me want to take this chance in trying to be part of that world that until now I could
only admire from afar. After all far things will never get close to us, if we don't make a
first step towards them. I feel that I was blessed to be born in a family that did everything
to give me wings, it would be a shame if I didn't at least try to fly.