Marco lives in the Casa dello Studente, in room 208. Twenty-one years old, from Sora, in the province of Frosinone, he is in L’Aquila to study psychology. He is in his third year, not much longer to go till graduation. Until the year before he’d lived in the residence run by the Salesians, but Marco is a good student, has good grades, and was able to get a scholarship and lodging at the Casa dello Studente on Via XX Settembre.

Luciana lives in the same building on the third floor, room 308. Nineteen years old, from San Giovanni Rotondo, she is in L’Aquila to study medicine because she has a dream: to wear the white coat. The same dream shared by Michelone, room 407/S, whose name is actually Hussein Hamade. Michelone is an Arab-Israeli boy, who has also come here to study medicine. Michelone has very clear ideas about his future: after graduation, he wants to specialize in the United States, but before going to America, he wants to marry Chezia, an Italian girl he’s met in L’Aquila, who lives a few floors down in the Casa dello Studente.

Angela also fell in love in L’Aquila. She is twenty-two, from San Nicandro Garganico in Puglia. She moved here to study engineering, found housing in room 312 and met Francesco, a boy from L’Aquila who is the night guard in the building.

Luca, on the other hand, had to leave his girlfriend behind to come to L’Aquila. He left Giada in Rieti, his home city. They met in high school and from their love a baby girl, Marta, was born who is now seven months old. It was not an easy choice to decide to have a child while still studying, but they did it, without giving up their dreams. She wants to be a musician and studies at the Conservatory; he wants to become a computer engineer and that’s the reason he came here to study. He rooms with Marco, the boy from Sora, in room 208 on the second floor.

Alessio has a girlfriend, Marianna, at the Casa dello Studente. They don’t live on the same floor but are able to see each other from the windows. It’s to be close to her that a few months ago he moved from the private apartment where he was living to the students’ residence, room 412/A. He too won a scholarship and has only four more exams to take to complete his degree with a major in Computer Science. He has so many plans: after graduation he would like to spend some time abroad and learn a new language. He studies a lot but he’s a fun guy who likes to play basketball.