Lara Balbinot
Class of 2018
Student of Environmental Engineering: Land Defense and Natural RiskPrevention (Politecnico di Milano)
Field: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering for Risk Mitigation (Politecnico di Milano)
How long did you attend IST?
From Grade 11 until Grade 13.
What was your thesis title?
The Influence of the Mother Tongue in Second Language Acquisition. I was really impressed by the number of languages that students speak at IST; therefore, I wanted to explore the benefits (as well as the disadvantages) of speaking many languages.
What was your IST house?
Anyi!
In what ways were you prepared for your future studies?
I think IST really helped me learn how to think critically. I still remember all the afternoons I spent reading and analyzing academic articles, writing well-structured essays, choosing the best thesis statement, and trying to cite correctly. Now I can say it was all worth it. Trust me, these are important skills that are requested basically everywhere, even in science-based studies such as Engineering!
In grade 5, you planned on being…?
A snowboard instructor. Being in the snowy mountains always made me feel free…
What is your favorite memory from your years at IST?
There are many. But I still remember very well Mr. Metcalfe (our Literature teacher) reading Hamlet’s First Soliloquy. He used to do it in such a unique way that it made me almost feel like I was part of the play!
