I think that happiness is about being committed to something that helps and supports others, and this is why I am so fascinated by research and leadership. They give us the opportunity and responsibility to support and protect our people, especially the most vulnerable. I began my journey in children's homes back in Rome, in Italy. Since then I have been volunteering with children and young people trying to facilitate resilience and recovery from early adversities as my main focus point. My Laidlaw Scholarship research project is all about our social identities and the way they interact with our possible selves to drive our self-control and school attachment. The ultimate aim is to be able to design, implement, and evaluate an effective intervention to enhance the academic achievements of children growing up in alternative care, and conclusively reduce the achievement gap between them and other children. If you have any questions about my project, if you think that your research and mine somehow overlap or are committed to solving similar issues through different disciplines, or if you just want to chat, please drop me a line at giammarco.di-gregorio@durham.ac.uk! :)