I had never met Camilla Raspino, the CDA candidate for Astra Bocconi, before this Monday. I had the pleasure of participating in the live interview by Radio Bocconi, where both candidates competing in the upcoming students’ elections presented themselves, in front of anyone who was interested in listening. Here is what I learnt about her in this experience, so that we can all be on the same page for the Election Day, on April 14th-15th.
Camilla is from Torino, where she was born in 2002 and where she completed her high school before moving to Milano. In the city she enrolled in CLEAM in 2021, graduating and choosing to remain in Bocconi by studying in the double degree with Politecnico on Transformative Sustainability. “I chose Bocconi twice,” she proudly states through the glass. She looks down at the microphone, concentrated. A brief smile in the camera as the interview begins.
Her career as a student’s representative started when she was elected in her second year in the Spadolini residence, where she was living at the time. In the same period Camilla joined Astra; this year she was chosen to run to the CDA as the leading candidate for this list. In a moment of great honesty, she declared that being on every poster, every pen, and every Instagram post of the university for months made her feel great. The very fact that such wide internal support formed around her was a token of pride, as the whole Astra stood up with her, even the people that she doesn’t know personally. She aims at helping everyone in the university, and what better way to achieve this than the highest position a student representative can hold? The incredible participation that Astra’s events of the recent weeks have had is also something that made her grateful. “It is truly beautiful to see how much support we have,” she said in the microphone.
Camilla’s curly hair moves smoothly as she shakes her head, giving out calm and professional responses to our questions. It is not by chance that the three words she chose to describe herself are reliable, caring, and outgoing. As we head into the pause, Figli delle Stelle by Alan Sorrenti starts to play. This song has characterised the whole Astra campaign, so much so that she tells us, “I have started to hear it even when it is not playing.”
As the music fades away in the silence of the studio, the interview resumes, now entering the most interesting part. The Radio Bocconi host underlines how strongly Astra uses the song and how they feel so represented by the lyrics. “We are children of the stars” is, in the end, not far from their name and their mission. Aim for the stars, Ad Astra. A glorious stellar origin for those that always want to achieve the most. But Sorrenti’s song is not the only one to use these words: Franco Battiato, another incredible Italian songwriter, in his piece Bandiera Bianca gives us a slightly different perspective. Yes, we are children of the stars, but we are also “grandchildren of his majesty Money.” How does Astra stay true to its original dream when even the most poetic promises can get corrupted by the practical worries of everyday life in a university? Camilla answers briefly, going straight to the point: “Astra is us, the students of the university. How can they lose their link with the community, their authenticity, when they are an integral part of it?” According to her, representatives are first and foremost our classmates and roommates, even our friends at times. They aim at making representation more accessible and, ultimately, more human.
Camilla’s take on Giulia is in line with the overall fairness and respect that has characterised the campaign so far, if we look past a couple of more colourful moments we have seen lately. She says that, although she doesn’t know her so well personally, she believes that Giulia is a reliable person, and she admires her because she is a natural leader.
Camilla’s interview is almost over, slightly quicker than her counterpart’s. When asked what she wants to be remembered for, she replies by saying that, regardless of the results of the elections, she will be there to help everyone and always. “Representation is my duty.” Then she too goes on the theme of the internationalisation of Bocconi, which apparently is a very sensitive topic these days. Camilla wants to embrace this process, fostering diversity and inclusion, in order to make everyone feel more welcome, international and Italian students alike.
Time is up; questions have been asked and answered. Camilla puts down the headphones and moves away from the microphone, standing up and switching back to Italian. She leaves the room shortly after, as we move to close the studio: the two interviews are over. Now the two candidates will go back to their campaigns, meeting again on April 10th , when the official debate between the two will take place. You can be sure that Tra i Leoni will be there to cover the story, as always.
