When I was a child, my great-grandmother passed on to me all the knowledge she had learned empirically and through her “field”experiences: I mean, she was a private farmer. In fact, she lived in a small house in the countryside, where I spent most of my childhood.
After scientific high school I started working in a bulk food store in Rome. Having many aromatic and medicinal plants, teas, and herbal teas available, I deepened their knowledge from a theoretical and organoleptic point of view and from the customer’s appreciation of the health effects. Now I am a herbalist graduated from the Sapienza University of Rome. I have always been fascinated by the world of phytochemistry and alternative medicine. The university became a must when I decided to understand molecular mechanisms, safety regulations and processing methods that were not clear to me at the time. I had the pleasure of a student collaboration with the Natural Compounds Extraction Laboratory, and my internship at the IBBC – CNR made me study different things than I ever expected. Obviously, for my thesis, I chose an extractive topic, to crown this fantastic journey.
Dedicated to my studies, I continue my preparation in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, to approach the experimental world in an even more technical way.
My work experiences are very varied: tutor, sales assistant, food quality control officer, herbalist. But a constant in my life has been the sharing of information (scientific and otherwise) and the search for true information, uncorrupted by media manipulation or trivial misunderstandings. Accurate reading and deep understanding are my favourite keywords!
I have had a lot of experience in teamwork, I believe that every person can add value. I was lucky enough to find close-knit and willing groups of collaborators, from whom I learned to recognize that the weaknesses of the individual, if supported by the team, are only momentary obstacles. My superiors taught me how to be (or not to be) a leader. My family supported me anytime.
I am very satisfied with the experiences made so far, and I hope to continue my personal and professional research with the same passion with which it began.
Author - Giulia Todini
