#  Graduate Profile: Gianluca Avanzato, MDiv ‘24  

 





May 07, 2024

 

 

     ![Headshot of Gianluca Avanzato](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/hds2/files/gianlucaavanzato-900x600.jpg?itok=lwrwLWKQ) 

Gianluca Avanzato. Photo courtesy of Gianluca Avanzato

 



 

## How I've Changed 

Being at Harvard Divinity School has been transformative. The path of these past three years has been riddled with intellectual, spiritual, and emotional challenges that, with the support and guidance of friends, family, and mentors, have taught me a tremendous amount about myself and the world around me. One change has been my connection to Catholicism, the faith tradition I was born into. I quickly found amazing and welcoming Catholic communities in and around HDS that created space for me to explore my connection to the divine through the diverse and rich Catholic tradition that they embodied. I also found opportunities to step more deeply into my creative practices and take up new ones: writing poetry, making mosaics, drawing, papermaking, and more. These pursuits were often in conversation with both my classwork and my extracurricular activities, and I learned a lot from the intersection of the different elements that comprise my life. I am leaving divinity school with more questions than answers, and I am inspired by the courage, beauty, and complexity of my peers and all the people I have encountered in this place. I am humbled and curious and grateful.

## Memorable Moment 

One of my earliest memorable moments at HDS was learning to pray the rosary beneath the pine trees outside of Swartz Hall.

## Message of Thanks 

I am blessed to have met many people who have changed my life for the better, and during this time at HDS I have encountered so many—more than I can list. I’d like to thank Federica, my wife, for the love, support, and acceptance she has consistently offered me throughout these three years of trials, joys, and immense transformations. I am beyond grateful for my family and all the selfless ways they have nurtured and kept me afloat in times of difficulty. I extend my gratitude to my Italian and Italian-American ancestors, whom I have kept especially close in this place of power and privilege, and to the family I’ve chosen and that have chosen me. To all the teachers and mentors who have seen me for who I am and encouraged me to be myself even more fully, especially Professor Karen King, thank you. Thank you to the Catholic community and leaders at HDS, especially Virginia, Tianyi, Lauren, Patty Simpson, and Father Frank Clooney, who invited me anew into the Catholic tradition in all its eccentricity and complexity and beauty. Many thanks to my senior seminar group as well as Satoru and Professor Paulsell for trusting in me and encouraging my creative endeavors. Thanks to Kerry Maloney, an exemplary chaplain and director of religious and spiritual life, for embodying gentleness, authenticity, and humility: core tenets of a spiritual leader. And thank you to my friends and housemates who helped me love myself and my life and the world more tenderly and fully: Madeline, Hannah, Margaret, Kenton, Noa, and so many more. You all mean so much to me. Thank you.

## What I Hope to Be Remembered By 

I hope I will be remembered by the gentleness, compassion, and curiosity I've tried to carry with me everywhere I go. But if I'm remembered as "that peculiar MDiv who created his own language and wouldn’t stop talking about the epic poem he is writing," that's great too!



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Student Activities and Interviews ](/discover-stories-about/student-activities-and-interviews)
- [ Commencement ](/topic-tags/commencement)
- [ Commencement 2024 ](/topic-tags/commencement-2024)