She is enrolled at UCLA - University of California, Los Angeles, and is doing her first year at a distance; it's not exactly the same as being there, but she has made the most of the opportunity to train in order to be ready as soon as she lands in the States.
Even in her studies, she is putting in the maximum effort to honour the merit she has been granted (she got access with a full scholarship....mica thing for everyone), and she is studying online, like many students in Italy, with the added, or rather the minus, 9 hours of time difference.
But it is certainly not an obstacle that can discourage a girl as full of enthusiasm and determination as Alessia.
She tells me how many times she has stood under those beautifully lit skyscrapers in Milan and, chatting with her father, imagined herself a woman manager, somehow following in her parents' footsteps.
Time goes by, and the idea of watching her play really appeals to me. We go to the driving range and between short game and driving range, it is really a pleasure to watch her practise.
We talk about feelings, awareness, the tension at the start of a match and how that affects her swing. She is a very sweet girl, and to my eyes she still looks fragile, but I know that on the court she is able to transform herself and put in an unwavering determination and grit.
Standing next to her, I feel the passion for golf is something palpable; we do some concentration exercises together and her focus is as high as the demand on herself.
Alessia has impressive listening skills, she can read between the lines of what advice is given to keep her in the moment, and take the pressure of expectation and judgement off.
In addition to these skills, among the weapons she will bring to the court to best tackle the Women's Open are her enthusiasm, resolve and desire to play her best.
His best ‘friend’ these days is the putt. It will be his fundamental ally in the tournament. Putting is first and foremost confidence, sensitivity. That confidence that Alessia has in herself and that makes her always smiling, looking forward to a future that I can only wish her is full of satisfaction.
