It is the smallest in its class and – probably – of the Giovanni Da Procida scientific high school who will graduate this year without having reached the age of eighteen but Alessandro Caruso, born in 2007 (17 years old in January) knows no limits. Commitment, dedication, passion for study and a secret dream: become a doctor. And this is why he wanted to literally skip ahead – not only in terms of age, the seventeen-year-old in fact attended the “first” – but also in teaching, favorably taking up the “gauntlet” of the applied sciences major with a four-year option on the present European model right at Da Procida.
Tomorrow the first high school exam will see him as the protagonist after having completed “five years in four” and also a pre-selective test to access the medical entrance tests, carried out at just 16 years of age.
How does it feel to be the youngest to take the final exam?
«Electric and a little anxious. Being the youngest, I have the fear of not being up to par and all of this being bigger than me but it’s right to make the best of it. For me this is the first real exam, since the eighth grade exam was taken in DaD during covid. I am excited and confident at the same time that this exam can give the desired result after 4 years.”
A challenge (four-year period) that the Da Procida scientific high school was able to grasp. What was it like to face this teaching experience?
«Initially interesting and stimulating. Being already anticipatory, I didn’t struggle to settle in as I was used to working with older people, even though in my class there is another girl a few days older than me. Ending lessons every day at 1.55pm was a not very welcome novelty which over time became normal. Graduating a year early was the main motivation but it is a complex path».
You certainly have many dreams. With commitment and dedication you have begun to lay the foundations for one of these…
«The most important at the moment: entering the faculty of medicine in Salerno. I have already participated in the pre-selective tests since last year, the last one last month.”
When you showed up for the pre-selection tests there was some disbelief… How did they go?
«The examiners weren’t sure I could take the test, not even being 16 years old. But attending the penultimate year of high school, I had the opportunity and the right to test myself. The test was difficult and, in my opinion, at times absurd. One question in particular that I will never forget is “What is the shape of crab sperm?”. After more than a year I am still amazed and I wonder if these knowledge are needed in the skills of a doctor but I will probably never have an answer.”
What would you like to say to the “little ones” who will come after you?
«To be sure of the choices. Having chosen this major, I find myself 2 years ahead of my peers: this will also give me a great advantage in the university and working world but it is still a very demanding path and one must face it with a lot of will. I tell the younger kids to stay calm. There is time and there is no need to rush. If you want to test yourself in this journey, welcome but face it calmly and seriously.”
Where do you see yourself in the future?
«I hope that the foundations I have laid bear fruit and that I can achieve some of the objectives. Now I’m busy studying for the exam. I hope it will go well for all of us graduating seniors, to whom I wish good luck.”
