Maria Cristina Giurastante: guiding choices to create a future together

Your professional career starts from afar. How does this story begin?

My professional path is deeply intertwined with my personal one. It was born from a curiosity about the world that preceded my entry into the Polytechnic, but which found the space to grow and consolidate right here.

I graduated in Oriental Languages and Civilizations at the L'Orientale University of Naples. Studying off-site was my first training ground in life. During my studies I spent a year in China in a country that was profoundly different from the current one and from my own country: it was an experience that marked my way of looking at the relationships between different systems, cultures and people.

Due to SARS in 2003 I returned to Italy and, shortly after, I moved to London, where I worked for three years as an Office Manager. It was a significant experience, also for the organizational and managerial skills that it allowed me to develop.

Is it in this international path that the Politecnico fits in?

Yes. I was in London when, in 2006, I heard about a project of the University of China for a double degree and I decided to apply. I was hired to coordinate the Italian-Chinese Campus and it was, to all intents and purposes, a leap into the void driven by curiosity and passion. I was located in Shanghai for three years and, over time, my responsibilities grew.

Upon returning to Italy, I started to deal with international promotion, traveling a lot to attract students from all over the world. Internationalization, for me, has never been an abstract goal, but it was already a daily practice.

2020 was a turning point. What did it mean to become a Responsible?

In 2020, with the reorganization of the University, International Marketing and National Orientation merged into a single Service. It was an important challenge, which came at a complex time. I was in the first months of maternity leave and in a few weeks we would have gone into lockdown. I found myself coordinating the integration of activities and people remotely, in the midst of the pandemic. At the same time, I had to learn about new processes, rethink them online, and work a lot on group building.

I tried from the beginning to create cohesion, even through informal moments of exchange, discussion and support. I believe that the human dimension is fundamental: without a sense of teamwork, even the best strategy struggles to translate into action.

Today, what is the mission of the Service you coordinate?

We are a team of eight people who work to support the University's attractiveness policies. We operate by integrating guidance, communication and promotion of the training offer, in Italy and abroad, in line with the strategic plan.

Promoting a university like the Politecnico means working in a complex ecosystem: students, schools, families, institutions, international partners. It requires communication skills, interculturality, digital marketing and data analysis, but also great sensitivity in dialogue with the new generations.

Our goal is  to accompany students towards an informed choice, helping them to build a vision of their future and, possibly, of a better society. 

In this scenario, what are the most complex challenges?

The demographic decline is a structural challenge that can have effects on the development of the University and the country. Projections indicate that by 2040 Italy could have more than 20% fewer workers, with a significant impact on economic growth and the sustainability of the country system.

At the same time, dialoguing with the new generations requires a continuous updating of languages and tools. Talking to young people means constantly questioning oneself.

In addition, the geopolitical dimension is increasingly central to our work. Wars and international crises redefine flows, mobility and expectations. We interact with students from contexts affected by conflict or political instability, where access to quality pathways can be compromised. In these cases we feel even more strongly the responsibility of the university as a safe space, a bridge between cultures and a real possibility of redemption and construction of the future.

What has the international experience left you, even in the role you hold today?

It left me, first of all, with a broader view. Living and working in different cultural contexts has taught me never to take anything for granted, to listen before interpreting, to read situations from multiple perspectives.

He taught me mediation, patience and deep respect for differences. When working between different systems – cultural, organizational, generational – it is not a question of simplifying differences, but of understanding and enhancing them. This is now an integral part of my way of working and leading a team.

In such a complex context, what kind of leadership do you feel you are exercising?

I believe that mine is a participatory and adaptive leadership: I do not believe in a single model valid for everyone, but in the importance of reading the context and people. I try to listen to the individual, creating a space where everyone can express their potential to the fullest, in harmony with the team and with common goals. I deeply believe in the contamination of ideas and in continuous exchange, because it is from comparison that the most effective solutions are born.

I am committed to giving a clear vision to our activities, so that each person can recognize themselves in the path and understand its meaning. We dedicate structured moments to dialogue, but I also cultivate a daily and accessible presence, trying to activate different motivational levers depending on the person.

I am lucky enough to work with a group of competent and enthusiastic people, who live their work not only as a profession, but as a real mission.

Your career also demonstrates a constant attention to training...

For me it is a vital element, and it is also what kept me here at the Polytechnic for so many years. Despite the time that has passed, working in this context makes me feel like I'm still traveling, never standing still.

I found an environment where training is not an episode, but an ongoing process. It is a constant challenge, fueled both by the nature of my work – which exposes me to ever-changing stimuli and contexts – and by the very DNA of the Politecnico, which is profoundly oriented towards improvement and innovation.

I recently obtained a Master's degree in University and Research Management. It was a challenging path: between work and family I often had to study at night. But it was also extremely enriching. It allowed me to broaden my gaze, acquire new tools and compare myself with professionals of great value, with whom a beautiful friendship was also born.

How is your work intertwined with the personal dimension?

Finding a balance is not always easy, because for me professional and personal life are deeply intertwined. Work is not just a source of income, but a part of my identity: it is the place where I express skills, passion and vision.

At the same time, I choose to be present in my family as much as possible. I have a twelve-year-old daughter and a six-year-old boy: they gladly participate in the initiatives of the Politecnico designed for their ages, and I try to share this significant part of my life with them. For me it is important that they see a mother who is passionate about her work and I believe that this has a strong educational value: I hope that showing that you can invest in professional growth without sacrificing the personal dimension offers them a model of freedom and responsibility towards themselves and their aspirations.

What if you had to leave a message to the young workers of tomorrow?

I would say not to wait until you have a perfectly drawn trajectory before leaving. The most formative choices often arise from curiosity and the courage to get out of one's comfort zone.

Commitment and sacrifice are part of the journey, but when they are driven by passion they become investments in oneself. Not everything will be linear, and you don't always know where a decision will lead: it is precisely in those moments that you grow the most.

Cultivating openness, respect and the ability to dialogue – especially in a world of change and tension – is as fundamental a skill as any technical skill. And, above all, make sure you never stop feeling like you're traveling.