The Aalto University Student Union celebrated its eighth Annual Ball on Saturday, the 19th of May 2018. To honor the occasion, the Student Union rewarded active people in the Aalto community with a variety of awards.
A total of 20 community badges, ten badges of merit, two badges of honor and two hero badges were awarded at the Anniversary Ball. The badges were handed out by Onni Lampi, Chair of the AYY Representative Council. Diplomas for the Learning Promotion Deed of the Year and the International Deed of the Year were also handed out at the party.
Read more about all the recipients of the awards and the reasoning behind them.
Learning Promotion Deed of the Year
The Aalto University Student Union’s Learning Promotion Deed of the Year award was given to the Information Networks Guild Athene.
Athene has shown great passion for the development of teaching and has worked actively to promote it. The information networks students took concrete action to support the education sector together with the Athene Angels parents’ association and the Aalto University School of Science.
The student-initiated project to create a professorship for information networks became a reality when a Professor of Practice was recruited for the field for five years.
With its actions, Athene showed a remarkable will to get advocacy work done and showed what can be achieved by being bold and getting down to business.
International Deed of the Year
The International Deed of the Year diploma was awarded to the Sustainable Global Technologies Program for its truly global approach to teaching and sustainable development.
The SGT Program is an interdisciplinary educational three-course program at the School of Engineering at Aalto. It brings together all Aalto’s study fields and the large variety of student backgrounds to contribute to sustainable development and real-life challenges around the world. Every year, students have the opportunity to study the diverse connections between sustainability, technology and cultural and societal challenges in a global-minded course setting.
With the International Deed of the Year prize, AYY wants to highlight the importance of high-quality internationalization work and encourage both students and staff to work together for a better, more global-minded and open Aalto.
Community Badges
A community badge is awarded to a person who has actively operated in the Student Union and promoted the objectives of the Student Union through their actions.
In 2018, AYY awarded the community badge to the following persons:
Antti Kaivola
Antti Kaivola is a textbook example of a jack-of-all-trades of Aalto. He has organized dozens of parties, enthusiastically advocated for the community and always finds something worth smiling about in every single thing, sparking joy in all of us.
Elisa Jokinen
Elisa Jokinen’s work for the culture of the Aalto community is exceptionally big. Her task as Chairperson of NESU-KY, Board active in the KY Culture Committee and active participation in organizing the Jäynä contest have sparked joy and mirth to uncountable people.
Ella Potka
Ella Potka has organized innumerable events within the Aalto community’s sphere of influence, working in several tasks. Particularly worth mentioning is the well-commanded Teekkarius 145 celebratory year.
Iida Palosuo
Iida Palosuo is awarded the community badge for crystallizing cross-disciplinarity and being a passionate ARTS advocate.
Kalle Keinonen
Kalle Keinonen has successfully promoted the merging of cultures and student unions, the upcoming ARTS move, and committing TOKYO full-time to the Otaniemi hustle and bustle.
Krista Kuuttiniemi
Krista Kuuttiniemi has chaired the Aalto Economics subject organization, where she has significantly developed its activities and made it more cross-disciplinary. In addition to this, she has been an active member of the Representative Council and a true example of leadership.
Linnea Anttila
Linnea Anttila is a long-term section active and party organizer, who has rummaged through the cultural organs of our community for four years. She has also studied both technology and business.
Otto Bergius
Otto Bergius, who currently works as the Aalto University Student Union’s corporate relations coordinator, holds the largest list of “corporate relations tasks in our community” under his belt. In addition, the Julkku readership has had a chance to enjoy his work in the Wappu magazine.
Peppi Seppälä
Peppi Seppälä is an enthusiastic Representative Council member and section active. In addition to her career in the Representative Council, she has acted both as the IE director of the Aalto community and as the Chair of the Campus Section.
Säde Palmu
Säde Palmu’s endless enthusiasm for both educational politics and campus advocacy is often without peer. She also has the Guild of Architecture’s chairpersonship and active participation in the Representative Council under her belt.
Ville Marchant
Ville Marchant has done truly intensive work for our community in unique projects. The KY bachelor student move and the Tempaus2016 student project, which highlighted the importance of basic education, were projects that would have been vastly different without him. Ville builds a better Aalto community, getting his hands well and deep into the soil to cultivate a better result.
Heikki Salko
Internationality and multilingualism are very critical to the Aalto community right now. Still, only a few individuals move from words to actions in the way that Heikki Salo does, translating sitsi songs and organizing English-speaking museum tours with great enthusiasm.
Ilkka Särkiö
Ilkka Särkiö has been exceptionally active in the Guild of Physics and in the Student Union. Raising a new gaggle of first-years and organizing events wasn’t challenging enough for him, so he strove to an even bigger position as the Chair of the Representative Council and the Board of the Student Union.
Jutta Kalli
Few people’s work in visual and graphic design have been viewed as broadly within the Student Union as those of Jutta Kalli. Many guild and association events have truly shined thanks to her work, and she also chairpersoned the Party Committee with honor.
Konsta Huuki
Few teekkari students have the same kind of openness as Konsta Huuki, along with enthusiasm and ability to get things done. He moves from task to task like a bullet train, as Lukkari, Wappu magazine editor and Board member of the Student Union. In addition, Huuki acted as the Chair of the Annual Ball Committee in 2018.
Tuuli Sarantola
Tuuli Sarantola has an exceptionally diverse background in guild activities, GAYY and the Teekkari Section. She is a visionary in event organizing and structural development, and has an honest goal of everyone having the best time possible in their lives.
Sanna Unkuri
Sanna Unkuri has had a lengthy career in international matters in behalf of our community. She has both a Board year in international issues and organizational tasks for the AYY Annual Ball under her belt.
Samu Nurmi
Preserving heritage and writing it down is usually one of the first things a student community forgets to do. Samu Nurmi’s merits for museum activities in our Student Union are exceptional. He also has acted as an exemplary aid for TTE Fund applications, helping different parties to secure key funding.
Ville Myllylä
Ville Myllylä has been an enthusiastic active in the Guild of Mechanical Engineers, most recently as the Chairperson. After his year as Chairperson, he has worked in the AYY Board enthusiastically to improve the facilities our community has to offer
Mikko Mustonen
Mikko Mustonen has created himself a diverse career in volunteering in the Aalto community. He has been active in the Board of the Guild of Automation and Systems Technology, the Teekkari Section and several committees. His cheerful attitude and diamond-sharp, on-time actions are irreplaceable at times.
Badges of Merit
The badge of merit is awarded to a person who has acted extensively in the Student Union for a long period of time.
In 2018, AYY awarded the badge of merit to the following persons:
Elina Kuutti
Elina Kuutti is an exceptionally productive and inspiring TOKYO person. She has been a member of TOKYO’s Board for two years, acting most recently as the Chairperson. Between the above-mentioned years in the Board, she worked in AYY’s Board, being responsible for art issues, inspiring the entire Board in the field of arts. Since then, she has acted as the Chairperson of the Representative Council group Pro Arte, ensuring that the voice of the artists is heard in the Aalto community.
Joanna Haahti
Joanna Haahti has produced so many events in the Aalto community that it would be impossible to count them all. She has led one of our Student Union’s biggest collecting committees, worked in the AYY Board and led our Community Section Aava. Johanna’s personality is illustrated perfectly by the anecdotes from situations where, when preparing for the Annual Ball, she first does the hair of her friends, and only after that her own, if there’s time.
Mikko Leino
Mikko Leino is an electrical engineer who has worked for long with the upbringing of teekkari freshmen and with the museum. He has worked as the Freshman Captain of the Guild of Electrical Engineering, two years in the Teekkari Section as the Freshman Major, and after that, as Intendent of the Polytechnical Students’ Museum. In addition to all this, he has also done exemplary student advocacy work both as a regular and a deputy member in the Representative Council. Fortunately for us, his graduation as Master of Science in Technology didn’t slow him down at all, as you can now find him in the Board of Aallonhuippu, the Aalto University Doctoral Student Association.
Petri Valkama
Petri Valkama is an expert in real state finances, who graduated already a few years ago. During his active time, he worked as a Board member of the Student Union, was responsible for corporate relations in the Industrial Engineering and Management guild Prodeko, and wrote actively for his guild magazine.
It goes without saying that the ongoing Student Center project would not be in this state without his unselfish assistance in the evaluation of the project plan or participation in our Student Union’s Financial Committee as Chairperson of its Real Estate Division.
Anna Anttalainen
For some, organizing the Annual Ball is a way of life. This is also the case for Anna Anttalainen, since she has been involved in organizing seven different Annual Balls, both through guilds and the Student Union. In addition to this, she has also worked in the Teekkari Section.
Anna also played a key role in organizing the Tempaus2016 student project, leading the school team successfully and practically living at Rantsu during the entire hullabaloo, helping out outgoing and incoming participants.
Niina Palm
Niina Palm has shown exceptional Aalto spirit through her actions. She has worked with KY’s culture affairs for several years, both in the Committee and in the speksi. Organizing events at full steam also for the Student Union is easy as breathing for her, and her two-year career as AYY’s cultural producer is proof of this.
Valtteri Ahonen
Students rarely have the energy or time to work with financial matters as intensively as the next recipient of the badge of merit has done for years. He has acted as the Chairperson and Board member of the KY Foundation, and as a member of AYY’s Financial Committee. And we shouldn’t forget his cultural merits as a member of NESU-KY’s Board and as an editor for the Äpy Wappu magazine.
Reeta Ojala
It is very rare in our community for a single person to work so actively within our Student Union for so many years. Reeta Ojala has been responsible for international affairs in her guild, acted as the International Director of the Teekkari Section for two years, and worked in the International Section Mosaic this year. In addition to these tasks, she has somehow found the time to be active in APC Foxes and to organize the Teekkari Tradition Party.
Petteri Heliste
Every student union needs a pedantic physicist at regular intervals to act as a sound of reason. AYY has had the pleasure to enjoy Petteri Heliste’s services and contribution to this task for five years now. Many years in the Representative Council only seem to inspire him to move forward, and he has also been a member of AYY’s Board.
Petteri also recognized the aforementioned need in the National Union of University Students in Finland, and has done great work there this year, while also helping AYY whenever he can.
Arja Ripatti
This badge of merit goes to Real Estate Secretary Arja Ripatti, who has already retired from AYY after a long career. Her cheerful attitude and sincere helpfulness has been immeasurably valuable for the community, and many will miss her at the office, making sure that the store of bubbly remains full. One thing that tells a lot about her is that ten years ago, she was granted the honor to use the teekkari cap.
Badges of Honor
The badge of honor is given to a person who has actively, extensively and for a long period of time acted in favor of the Student Union and promoted its goals.
In 2018, AYY awarded the badge of honor to the following persons:
Anu Juvonen
Anu Juvonen’s list of tasks is as long as her arm. She has worked in almost every area of the Student Union’s culture sector, without forgetting her Representative Council and Teekkari Village activities. When talking about her contributions, promoting the goals of the Student Union would seem like an understatement, given the countless events, parties and the Tempaus project she has organized.
Anu has been a steadfast foundation and support for dozens of section members whenever support has been needed or requested.
Jukka Mäkelä
The hard work and unselfish actions of Jukka Mäkelä, the City Manager of Espoo, for the Aalto community may have been somewhat difficult to notice for the majority of our Student Union, but they have been extremely important. He has acted as a valuable channel towards one of our most important stakeholders and worked very actively in the AYY Honorary Delegation. During his student years, he acted as the Chairperson of TKY and his own guild, among other things.
He is a sworn protector and supporter of the teekkari spirit, Otaniemi and especially the Aalto community. He is an excellent example of lifelong learning and what kind of an asset alumni can be for the Student Union and its community.
Hero Badges
The hero badge is awarded for an individual act or project that has influenced the Student Union and the lives of its members, or a series of acts or projects.
In 2018, AYY awarded the hero badge to the following acts:
AllWell? Well-being Work
AYY’s hero badge is awarded to the University’s AllWell well-being work. For our community, it is very important that the students’ mental health, coping and well-being are given the attention that they deserve.
The results of the survey were somewhat gloomy in parts, showing e.g. a high burnout risk among students, but they were treated correctly and timely. Such openings from the University ensure that the Aalto community is alive and well!
Dipoli’s Independence Day Reception
AYY’s hero badge is awarded to Dipoli’s Independence Day reception. As Finland’s centenary was approaching, a few alumni brought up the idea of an Independence Day reception at Dipoli, which was last organized in the 1980s. After the initial work, a working group was assembled for the event, the working hours of which certainly amount in the thousands.
The Independence Day reception was a unique way to open the dialogue between today’s students and alumni. All the feedback we have received from the event has been overwhelmingly positive, and the event exceeded all expectations.