You also gain valuable work experience from the activity. You can inquire about student ambassador activities by e-mail at opiskelijalahettilaat(at)helsinki.fi. Below are also speeches from two faculty students about the experience.
“Many of the students in our faculty can probably identify with the experience that their own degree program is not very well known outside Viikki - I only found my own search destination in my high school years. That is why, after getting into university, I decided that I would attend the University of Helsinki's student ambassador training as soon as possible, so that I could act as a student representative. My field has proven to be worthy of being promoted by potential prospective students!
As a student representative, you can also do more than go from one educational institution to another to tell about your field. For example, student representatives create content for university social media accounts, write blog posts about a student's daily life, and answer applicants' questions in a chat. So there are many ways to act as a university student ambassador. Personally, among other things, I have visited my home region to tell high school students about studying in our faculty. Attending the training was not particularly demanding, and attending it is not yet tied to any job. The work can be done flexibly according to your own interests and endurance. If you are even interested in working as a student representative, I highly recommend attending rapporteur training! ”
Liisa, a food science student
“I could be described as an active student and a student-active. In addition to my studies, I engage in all kinds of organizational activities, where fun activities are created for fellow students and also for ourselves. At the same time, we meet new people, maybe learn something new about our own field, and together we get those famous good ideas to start implementing. I am finishing my studies in the Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences and the intention would be to start my master’s studies in plant production sciences. I myself intend to specialize in horticulture and especially greenhouse production.
I have worked at the university as a student ambassador touring high schools and introduced both our faculty of agriculture and forestry as well as my own field. For example, I made a longer trip to Northern Finland, visiting five different high schools and performing for a total of an estimated 200 high school students. The activity is very rewarding and it is inspiring to see how young people receive information with open arms about something other than mainstream. I am particularly inspired to see how food production is constantly perceived as a more interesting topic and a sector as a viable option.
There are also wildly other possibilities for acting as a student ambassador than live high school presentations. You can make remote demos of your industry, be represented at various events, answer questions about your industry in a chat, update your blog or even do an Instagram take-over! The university has worked hard to improve transparency in attracting new students and activities are constantly being developed. The student ambassadors are a really open and inspiring team, where you can do a completely independent amount of work, either alone or in a small group. ”
Juho, Agricultural Science Student