Botter meets with Italian President Sergio Mattarella
Nestled in Central Rome, Italy’s Quirinal Palace exudes leadership. The home to dozens of high-ranking officials over the centuries, from early Popes to Napoleon and now Italian President Sergio Mattarella, the building has certainly had its fair share of unique residents.
This past month, however, the historic halls got a taste of Bruin influence, with Transformative Coaching and Leadership graduate student Federica Botter visiting the Quirinal, along with fellow Italian national track and field team members.
Fresh off a first-place finish at Poland’s recent European Cup – the country’s first in the 60-year existence of the event, Botter and her teammates were invited to meet with President Mattarella as he made special remarks on the upcoming 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome.
The occasion marked the first time the national track and field federation has ever been received in the Home of the Italian Republic – a nod to the national pride Botter and her teammates’ repeated success has brought to Italy.
“The appreciation for you is very great because you convey a message of commitment, sacrifice and dedication,” Mattarella said, telling Botter and her teammates that he plans to be present with them at the Olympic Stadium on opening day of the European Championships in June.
A javelin throws specialist and UCLA record-holder, Botter was born in a small village just outside the port city of Venice. As a teen, she moved with her family to Lignano Sabbiadoro, some 60 miles east of the famous canal city. She says meeting Mattarella in Rome was a surreal moment and a giant step for athletics in Italy.
“It was something completely unexpected,” Botter explains. Just days prior, she’d been fully absorbed in fall training. The morning after a tiring workout in Los Angeles, she noticed a missed call from an Italian number.
“It was the management staff of the national team,” Botter says. “So I called them immediately.”
Less than two weeks later she was back on her native soil, shaking hands with the president.
Botter says the TCL program helped her better understand the potential athletes have as leaders, as well as the responsibilities that come with that leadership platform – one she hopes to use to inspire others and encourage healthy physical activity.
In addition to her Master of Education studies at UCLA, Botter earned a degree in Tourism Sciences from Italy’s University of Udine. UCLA’s first All-American in women’s javelin since 1998, she has won four Italian national titles and claimed four silver medals in national competitions. Prior to the European Athletics Championships, Botter plans to compete at US Nationals.
Learn more about UCLA’s Transformative Coaching and Leadership Master of Education program.