Sophia Stories. Fiorella Rodriguez Lasteros: “Putting Love at the Heart of the Economy”
Putting love at the heart of the economy: the reason that brought me to Sophia
Alexandra Fiorella is a young Peruvian graduate in Business Administration. In Arequipa, her hometown, she is attending a training program to become a university lecturer, which allowed her to complete her studies with a master’s degree abroad. This is how she discovered the Sophia University Institute and realized that here she would find the right academic path for her: Economy, sustainability, communion.
Fiorella, how did you end up at Sophia?
In truth, I had never heard of it before. I was in Peru, trying to figure out what to specialize in. I liked marketing, but I couldn’t see a deeper soul in that field. Then I attended a conference called “Business, a Path to Holiness.” That was the first time I heard about the Economy of Communion, and a new world opened up for me: I was deeply impressed by the idea of linking love to the economy. Through a professor, I got in touch with Sophia, and four months later I was already here, eager to put love at the center of the economy!
What has the academic experience at IUS given you?
I cannot separate my experience at Sophia from that of Loppiano: I learned so much from both. In my city, I never had the chance to immerse myself in highly diverse cultural environments, so arriving here and meeting people from all over the world, of every color and religion, was incredibly enriching.
We also had complementary formative experiences, such as a Summer School in Pisa where we explored key topics related to innovation and the common good. Moreover, I pursued a double degree with the European University of Rome, which helped me shape my thesis.
These relationships allowed me to broaden my horizons both professionally and personally. Additionally, delving deeper into the Economy of Communion confirmed my vocation as a “seeker of truth.”
How will what you learned here help you in your professional growth?
Thanks to the openness this academic path has given me, I believe I will be able to enrich the city and the university I belong to. Through academic teaching for students in Arequipa, I hope to contribute to building a better world — one where people strive to give their best every day and where peace prevails.
One thing that has always struck me about Sophia is the life-thought connection that lies at the heart of its teaching approach. It’s not enough to talk about concepts — you must also know how to put them into practice. That’s why I want to bring this model into my academic environment and into projects that generate a concrete impact on the reality of my city.
What differences did you find between the education you received at Sophia and that in Peru?
Before arriving in Loppiano, I was used to living in a routine; at Sophia, instead, you must let yourself be surprised, listen, and open up to constant change. The experience is intense and the courses demanding, but I received great support and felt the closeness of the professors, who care about their students both academically and personally.
When my university learned about the academic path I would follow at IUS, they found it interesting to explore the reality of a more human economy — one different from the traditional approach. This is a vision that is currently gaining significant momentum in Latin America, and they are waiting for me with great expectations.