Alessia Rocchi and Staniel Brutis became friends after enrolling at Boston College Law School, she as an LLM student from Italy headed for her Master of Laws degree and he as a 1L from Florida headed for his Juris Doctor degree.
Alessia is currently at K&L Gates’s Milan office. She is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice and handles a wide variety of domestic and cross border litigation and arbitration, including engineering and manufacturing, logistics and transportation, services and technology.
Back in 2023 and before her graduation, Alessia and Brutis sat down together to talk about her life as an international student. Here is that interview.
SB: Tell me about your background in Italy.
AR: I was born and grew up in Bergamo, which is in the north of Italy, and it’s about thirty minutes from Milan. I went to a scientific high school because as a teenager I thought I would take the medical school path.
When it came time to apply to graduate schools—in Italy, that’s what we call our universities—the tests required and the application deadlines for law and medicine were very complex, so at the last minute I applied to law school instead of medical school. After enrolling and taking my first exam, I found that I enjoyed law school and decided to remain because I believed I’d found my real path. It’s a story of faith and destiny.
SB: Why did you decide to pursue an LLM at Boston College Law School?
AR: I was pursuing a dual degree program from my Italian university, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan, and Boston College. I decided to take that path because I’d been fascinated by the academic and career opportunities offered by an American university. I’ve always believed that international education can have a transformative impact on individuals.
SB: What is your long-term goal?
AR: It has always been to work internationally. I would like to be part of an international
law firm that deals with international crimes, though after taking a course in intellectual
property law, I’ve also become passionate about that.
SB: Were there any role models, mentors, or experiences that influenced your career aspirations and personal development?
AR: My dad is my role model because he has always taught me the importance of studying, for being conscious about the world, and for being independent. He is now the CEO of a multinational company, but his dedication, starting from nothing, inspired me. When I was a child, he was working in a mechanical company and studying late into the night to gain his second diploma, then he went to law school, then to a school of management, and then got his MBA in the US. At the same time, he always found time for me and my brother. So, my father, together with my mom, are proof that commitment, dedication, and sacrifice lead to great results. And, of course, they influenced my vision of life and my own career aspirations.
SB: How did studying law in the United States differ from your experiences in Italy?
AR: Studying in the US was completely different from studying in Italy. First, because of the legal system. Italy follows a civil law system and we study the statutory rules from codes and textbooks while the US follows common law. I had to learn how to analyze precedent cases and get used to the method. Second, the student-professor relationship and the class environment were different. Italy is more lecture-based, while in the US, students have to actively participate in class. I had to get used to cold calls, which was strange.
SB: Can you share a journey or obstacle you encountered during your academic or personal journey and how you overcame it?
AS: I have a personal one from middle school that I think is the biggest. My English professor, who was also the principal of the school, told me that I couldn’t take the PET, which is the Cambridge exam for middle school-level English.
I was twelve years old, and she had decided that I was not able to succeed. It made me feel feeble, and I didn’t like that feeling. So, the next morning I went to her office and I told her that I was ready. And if I failed, it was because of me, so it was my problem. At the end, I did the exam, I passed with full marks, and I was very happy about that. And the situation for everyone changed as a result. From that day on, all students could choose to take the exam or not. It was no longer a professor’s decision; it was everyone’s decision.
SB: What were your most interesting experiences as an LLM student BC Law?
AR: The connections that I created with people. I’ve always been a solitary person, but I understood the importance of having friends, and being connected with others helped me a lot. Having international friends in America also helped me because it was nice having others who were sharing the experience of being far from home in a different country. And my American friends helped me to feel part of their community, so I was able to be involved more in American culture.
SB: What did you enjoy most about the educational environment at BC Law?
AR: The interactive method of teaching and learning that encourages you to be active, to participate, to think critically and problem-solve in class. Another thing I really appreciated was the accessibility of the professors and the relationship that they have with students, which seems to me to be more friendly than in Italy where you feel more the difference in the roles.
SB: What advice would you offer to other international students considering pursuing an LLM or studying law in the United States?
AR: As a student, I would recommend staying organized, creating a schedule, and setting goals for yourself in order to prioritize the important tasks and not wasting time. To be open to learn from different points of view, perspectives, and experiences, both from the professors and classmates. And, of course, to be prepared to adapt to new challenges and experiences.
As a person, I would suggest being solid and aware of where you are. Hard times will come and being far from home makes everything worse. But if you find a balance, I think you will be able to go through it. And as my Italian friends always say, hard times will come but hard times create strong men, and strong men create happy times. In Italian it sounds better.
SB: What are your favorite American foods?
AR: This is funny because I know this is not an American food, but I had never had a cannoli before I tried one in Boston. I really liked it. For American food, I tried turkey for Thanksgiving. It was magic.
SB: Any lifestyle change that made an impression?
AR: The cold in Boston. We don’t have this weather where I live in Italy, but I embraced it and put jackets on.
Photograph by Diana Levine
Learn more about BC Law’s LLM Program here, or contact bcllm@bc.edu.