Giovanni Smargiasse knows he was fortunate to gain a scholarship to study at Erasmus University of Rotterdam. Now he’s determined to give back to the community by taking part in the Erasmus Charity Run 2024.
“I’ve been playing football all my life, so running is no problem. When I had to stop during Covid-19 I realised how important sport was to me. I don’t even mind playing in the rain and that’s a good thing as I now live in Rotterdam,” he says. “I was so lucky to gain the scholarship but feel that many others deserve it more than me. If I can do something to help them, like taking part in the Erasmus Charity Run, I must do it.”
"My Erasmus Trustfonds Scholarship changed everything"
Studying for a Masters in the Netherlands was always his ambition, but Giovanni knew it would be a challenge to raise all the money he needed: “My parents and I looked into taking out a bank loan. Some friends had done that but I didn’t want to be in debt. My Erasmus Trustfonds Scholarship changed everything.”
Giovanni grew up in Parma in Italy and stayed close to home in 2019 by choosing the University of Bologna for his bachelor’s degree in Political and Social Science with a specialism in Communication Science but was disappointed his studies were disrupted by Covid-19. Before deciding on a postgraduate course, he took an internship in early 2023 as a communications officer at Eurodesk in Brussels.
“This was the best experience of my life and a great introduction to the world of work. I learned so much, alongside young people from all over Europe. I took care of social media at Eurodesk, and produced a TikTok that went viral covering how to travel for free and it got 200.000 likes – double the number that posts usually achieve."
Building the future
After four months in Belgium, Giovanni went home and started to plan for the future. Both he and his girlfriend Clarissa wanted to study in another country and considered applying to universities in the US or UK but in the end they decided to stay in Europe. Clarissa is studying in Italy and the pair intend to get together in the Netherlands after graduation.
“I’m doing well at EUR, getting good grades in my Masters in Media and Business and the scholarship means a lot to me. It’s recognised my efforts in the last few years and encourages me to do even better in the future.”
Erasmus Charity Run
In 2023, the Erasmus Charity Run raised a record €21.203. The 2024 event will be held on Sunday 14 April, as part of the University’s Lustrum events that are celebrating 110 years of creating positive social impact.
- More information
The Erasmus Charity Run is a special part of the official Rotterdam Marathon in which students, scientists, employees, alumni and affiliates of the university can participate to raise money for scholarship students. More information and donation options can be found on the Erasmus Charity Run website.
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