When Mariana Ahmad joined the Intercultural Encounters (ICE) Master’s Programme at the University of Helsinki, she brought with her a wealth of life experience and a deep curiosity about the world. Originally from Singapore, Mariana had lived and worked across the globe, from Australia and Georgia to Turkey, before settling in Finland. For her, ICE was an academic programme that allowed her to connect, grow, and reimagine her future.
“I knew I was joining ICE to study for the sake of learning,” she says. Mariana had spent several years trying to navigate life as a migrant in Finland and used the ICE programme as an opportunity to pivot.
A Global Life, a Local Impact
With a background in TV production and years of experience teaching English abroad, Mariana is no stranger to change. But transitioning to life in Finland brought a new set of challenges. Despite completing Finnish language courses through the integration programme and reaching an intermediate level, stable employment remained elusive.
“So basically, when I first arrived in Finland, I already had thoughts of doing my master’s, because school is free,” Mariana says. “There’s no such thing as free education in my country, Singapore. But the unemployment office told me, ‘We’d rather that you learn Finnish first.’ So I went through the integration, and even after, it was still hard to find a job.”
Mariana hoped ICE would give her academic fulfillment and allow her to change career paths into the non-profit sector.
“I used these NGOs and associations when I was an unemployed immigrant,” Mariana says, “I know what they do, and I would like to help too.”
The Power of Networks
Mariana is candid about the barriers many migrants face when trying to integrate into Finnish professional life. “Coming to the University of Helsinki, will help widen your circle, your networks here, which you really need,” she says. “The country works on connections and relationships. People need to know you in order to help. That’s what I realized.”
Her first job in Finland was sorting parcels at Posti’s logistics center, followed by shifts at a sausage factory and other gig work, before eventually landing a position as a production coordinator in an animation company. “It was one year full-time work while I was studying at the same time.”
Since then, Mariana has continued her studies and now is a trainee for the university research group “Caring Labour: A multi-modal study of migrant workers’ care practices and mobilities.”
ICE as a Mirror and a Map
While Mariana values the academic content of the ICE programme, it’s the people who have made the deepest impact.
Coming in as a mature student, Mariana says she brought her own lived experience—but also found herself inspired by younger classmates. “Being a mature student, you come with a lot of your own experiences and the way you view the world, but then you meet the younger people, and they sort of give you a different perspective that you never thought of.”
Though she admits some uncertainty about what comes next, she feels better prepared for whatever that may be. “You have to go somewhere where you feel like you are celebrated. And I don’t know where it is yet, but I still want to go out there and find out while I still can. I’m 45, I still think I can uproot and go somewhere else.”
Advice for Prospective Students
To those considering the ICE programme, especially other migrants or career-changers, Mariana offers straightforward advice: “Apply, even if you’re unsure. People say the University of Helsinki is competitive, but if you write a strong application, you have a chance.”
She also recommends flexibility. She says, "You can shape this programme to suit your goals by taking electives outside of ICE and exploring different departments. Don’t just collect credits—collect experiences.”
And above all? “You have to find your people,” she says. By building friendships inside and outside of the programme has been rewarding for Mariana.
She says, “You get to listen to stories from all over the world. Then you learn about life, or remember that we’re all humans.”