Elisa was born and raised in Italy and moved to the United States to study at Indiana University, where she majored in international development and minored in the Ghanaian language Akan/Twi. During this time, she studied abroad in Senegal and Ghana and pursued internships with nonprofits and research institutes addressing different aspects of displacement and migration both in the United States and abroad. These included the United African Organization of Chicago, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) of Silver Spring, Marlyand, and the Center for Gender Studies and Advocacy of the University of Ghana. After graduating, Elisa worked first for an immigration law firm, and then transitioned into a program management role at Global Communities. There, she supported USAID-funded projects in the DRC, Sri Lanka, and Kosovo. This past summer, she returned to Italy and worked at the IRC for her MPA internship. Elisa enjoys cooking, swimming, learning languages, and practicing martial arts.