Engineer Giulia Fresca received the “International Scientist Awards on Engineering, Science, and Medicine” for Research. The prestigious worldwide recognition of the Vdgood Professional Association, a renowned Indian scientific organization, was awarded to her in these days in Hyderabad, India. Now in its tenth edition, it is the first time in history that the coveted prize has been awarded to a personality from the European academic world. In communicating the news of the conferment, Vdgood announced, to the direct interested party, its willingness to recognize the contribution that Fresca has provided so far "To the elevation of the life of the common man".
Studies and career
Giulia Fresca, born in Manfredonia (Foggia) in 1971, where her father was for work, has Calabrian-Lucan origins that led her to Cosenza, his adopted city since 1989. At the age of 23, at the University of Calabria, he obtained a master's degree in mechanical engineering, holding the national distinction as the youngest graduate of this degree program. For 25 years she has been working as a freelancer in Italy and abroad (her engineering company based in Muscat, Sohar and Dubai gives her a lot of satisfaction), achieving brilliant results and numerous awards for merit and technical skills everywhere. to which are added the high moral value and sensitivity towards the community and the environment.
The man and his needs are at the center of his activity
His professional activity has always been aimed at situations that put man and his needs in the foreground. Think of the project for the construction of a self-sustainable orphanage "My Home" Orphaned Childrens Green Village, in Ghana; to the activity of facilitator in the places of the earthquake in central Italy; to the one held worldwide with Engineers Without Borders International for Mozambique, hit by the cyclone Iday. But Giulia is also waiting to operate in Madagascar, through the implementation of projects to support the improvement of the living conditions of the inhabitants.
Merit Medal in 2019
In November 2019, Giulia Fresca receives the medal of merit of the Senate of the Republic from the president Elisabetta Casellati. The handover ceremony takes place at the Museum of the Present in Rende (Cosenza), as part of the inauguration of the international photographic exhibition, which she created, entitled "Around the world ... without words - Emotions and charm through the lens" ("Around the world ... without words - Emotions and suggestions behind the lens"). Because photography is one of his countless passions.
Giulia Fresca journalist and writer
Giulia Fresca, who is also a journalist, academic and art critic, is the author of numerous collections of poems, essays, and the novel "Algorithm Dreamer", published by Pellegrini Editore. In short, we are faced with an eclectic woman, a true volcano of ideas and energies. Full of inspiration, inventiveness, passion, a lover of travel, Giulia is a cultured, indefatigable woman, a free spirit - as she defines herself -, a woman with a capital d. In short, a real Calabrian and Italian pride. Today, he tells himself for us in this passionate interview.
Dr. Fresca, what did you feel about receiving this prestigious award, awarded for the first time to a personality from the European academic world?
«It was like making a dream come true and, at the same time, a great honor! The feeling of surprise that I felt when reading the email with which I was informed of the conferment remains alive and I believe it will last a long time. In twenty-five years of activity, of acknowledgments, including international ones, I have received many, but this one, from India, embodies a much deeper meaning, which goes beyond the award itself: it is a kind of redemption of the Being».
When did you decide to become an engineer?
«I decided it at the age of 5. I lived in Algeria in the shadow of the great oil refinery that fed the wealth of our Italy. My playmates were the local children who tried to trade objects or vegetables in exchange for clothes, shoes and some broken toys. The children!".
If I think of children, I can only think of his humanitarian projects. Tell us about it?
“My humanitarian projects are aimed at children, women and men of the future, as in the case of the village "My Home", to be carried out in Ghana, where diseases such as river blindness, in addition to pain and the consequent stigmatization, are the main reason why the communities move away from the fertile valleys of the rivers, forcing them into poverty and the consequent abandonment of minors ".
What will the village be for?
«The village, in addition to being a place of welcome for orphans and abandoned children, will help women through craft workshops and the cultivation of vegetables on the farm, products that they will be able to sell for self-support. The younger guests, on the other hand, in addition to care, will receive education and introduction to the world of work. The satisfaction in the realization of a project consists in knowing, after some time, that it continues to be a vital place, helping to form consciences and offer knowledge. Not, therefore, empty containers that occupy spaces with their uselessness ».
Giulia Fresca is also a journalist, writer, art critic and photographer by passion. How does he reconcile all these interests?
«Passions are the lifeblood of our existence: woe to put them aside, woe to make them extinguish. Journalism and writing are part of my daily life, art and photography are part of my escape. The time I dedicate to my passions is not defined. It could not be and, perhaps, precisely in this is the secret of being able to reconcile them all ».
Since she was a child she has lived abroad. Then, her work led her to travel the world. Is there a place other than Calabria that you feel familiar with?
“It may seem like a trivial answer, but every place is. The Sahara desert, that of Oman and the Emirates, the Ural steppe, the sound of the wind in the harsh landscape of Sardinia, the feeling of being tiny in the shadow of Dubai's skyscrapers, the scent of the salt mine in Racalmuto. I could go on indefinitely. Every place is home to me because I lived it as an inhabitant and not as a tourist.
I went to school, I worked, I cultivated friendships, I left small footprints and it is still like this today, everywhere. I remain tied to the city that gave me birth: Manfredonia; to my grandparents' villages: Mileto, San Costantino Calabro, Francica, Venosa; to the city of Cosenza that I live in and to those where I have base camp thanks to my wonderful friends who always open their home to me wherever they are ".
What is your relationship with Cosenza?
«I love this city and I suffer to see it raped in many of its parts. I know it well, in its history and in its peculiarities, in its strengths and weaknesses. I have always supported and defended it and I will do so until the love towards it and its inhabitants grows».
What mother is Giulia Fresca?
“Difficult question my daughters should answer. From my point of view I can only say that I do my best in setting a good example, in transmitting values, in trying to be present, in instilling confidence and positivity in my daughters and, at the same time, allowing them to form a personality. I hope not to make mistakes and I hope that the response of time is not too severe ».
What space does love occupy in your life?
“Love is the space in which we should live and never have to be forced to find space for love. It governs our lives with all its forms and expressions. I couldn't live without».
What other plans do you have for the future?
«The project is the verification of an idea and let's say that I have some ideas waiting to be transformed into projects. With the voluntary association I represent, NetProCal, we are trying to contribute to increasing the culture of engineering at the service of communities, starting from raising awareness towards the prevention of disasters. And then there is the work, including that of research in energy innovations and perhaps (it would be time), that of being able to put my next novel to the press, which is already ready. Maybe".
You, who are a vivid example of intelligence, courage, freedom of expression, what do you feel you can recommend to today's young students?
“It makes me blush. the I am just a free spirit giving space to their energy. This is what I try to convey to those who ask me for some thoughts through experience and knowledge combined with my way of seeing life and today's society. The younger generations, and especially girls, should learn to respect each other more and to know how to value their innate sensitivity. We women are the true visionaries of the future and they, in particular, can be the authentic architects of change. My generation has contributed to almost definitively redeem the role of women who, unfortunately, today I often see debased because of ourselves. Today's girls are the real strength! The only invitation, more than advice, that I feel like giving them is: love yourself more and let yourself be guided by your inner energy even when they try to shut it down».
(Photo: Giulia Fresca Facebook profile)
