Maria Jussila

Hi everyone! I’m Maria Jussila, and this fall marks the start of my third year majoring in Kela, so both studies and student life are quite familiar to me by now. Studying here has been really rewarding, and I’d love to further develop academic matters and be the voice of our students. That’s why I’m running for PT’s Head of Study Affairs for 2025!

After the initial confusion of my freshman year, university life started to click, and I became interested in the association’s activities. Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to take on many different variations of ISO roles, so you might have recognized me as a lead ISO, international tutor, or ISOISO! Along the way, I’ve heard valuable insights and opinions from both our beloved fuksis and more senior students about their experiences with their studies. It’s important to me that these suggestions are heard, because who better to be experts on these matters than us students? 😀

As Head of Study Affairs, I’d like to improve communication around student advocacy and bridge the gap between students and the university. My roles as apu-IE and harassment contact person have given me experience in organizing events, which will certainly come in handy when planning future study-related events. I’d love to organize opportunities where members can easily network in a relaxed setting. While I’m glad I ended up here in the cradle of technology, it would’ve been reassuring in my high school days to have more concrete information about technical fields. That’s why I want to emphasize the importance of high school outreach and work on improving it.

What substantive or structural issues would you like to influence in our studies? What do you think are the best ways to influence?

I want to emphasize the importance of course feedback! Feedback comes directly from the students in a timely manner. It could be collected more frequently during the course itself, so that in long, multi-period courses, teaching methods can be adjusted to better suit the students. Additionally, issues like course scheduling and potential overlaps could be discussed when necessary. I believe the best ways to make an impact are to utilize the insights of other students and ensure smooth communication. Actively gathering feedback from students about their studies helps identify what needs improvement and what is already working well. Close cooperation with the university helps enhance interaction in teaching development. When the university and its students are closely connected, information flows in both directions, making it easier to implement changes.

How would you improve the communication between the university and the students?

It’s crucial that information is easily accessible, and students know who to contact regarding their studies. Actively informing students increases general awareness of the support services available, ensuring that no one feels left alone with their questions. As I mentioned earlier, course feedback is also an essential part of communication between the university and students and is relatively easy to implement. We could also establish clearer channels for providing and receiving feedback. Now that the master’s programs have recently been updated, it would be helpful to increase related information. Additionally, casual discussion events between students and university staff can help reduce the barriers to bringing up concerns or suggestions.

How would you develop association’s study-related events?

I would like to introduce more opportunities for networking within the association’s study events, both among students and with faculty members, for example through Proffakahvit (professor coffee meetings). It would also be great to bring in more industry connections through company visits and alumni events, so that students can gain a clearer understanding of what an engineer actually does, even early in their studies! Additionally, a minor subject info session could be beneficial for many students.

If you have any questions or just feel like grilling me, feel free to ask on Telegram @mariajussila or on PT’s election page!