Oskari Airila

Hi there! 

I’m Oskari, a second-year chemical engineering student, applying to the board of Prosessiteekkarit. Thanks to the incredible student culture of Aalto, the last year and a bit has been an unforgettable experience for me. I want to be even more involved in shaping this community. Hence I’m applying for the position of Fuksi Captain for the year 2026! 

I’ve been volunteering as a tutor, and also as a guild official in PT and Chemistry Guild. I’m familiar with organising events and co-operating with different kinds of people. Regarding the events, I would love to try out new things and have my own contributions and ideas to be visible, while respecting traditions of course. 

I’m a person who is outgoing, relaxed and paired with a great sense of humour. I also enjoy performing and expressing myself in different ways. I feel that my language skills could come in handy, since there will be a lot of communication in English. I’m also interested in challenging myself in new ways, which I think would make my time as a Fuksi Captain very rewarding. 

I’m well aware that the position of Fuksi Captain can be quite demanding and time-intensive. I’m applying to this position with Noora Hannula, since we share the motivation and drive for this role. We have a history of working together as tutors and our teamwork has been great so far. 

Feel free to ask anything, I’d love to answer your questions!

1. If you were Fuksi Captain, what would be your goal for the next 1.5 years?

To ensure the upcoming year and a half are not complete chaos, I should improve my time management skills. Right now I can handle my schoolwork and free time quite well, but a board position and the responsibilities it brings could be overwhelming. Regarding the fuksis, my most important goal is to give the new students a chance to join the Aalto community and to experience the joy of their own  fuksi-year. 

As of now, I’m planning on finishing my bachelor’s degree in three years, but I’m willing to be flexible if and when the situation requires it. It is important to remember that there might not be enough energy for everything and I’m not willing to risk a burnout. 

2. Students who do not feel that they belong to a community or have friendships with their fellow students at the beginning of their studies often lag behind in their studies. How do you manage to integrate all fuksis into a community or help them to find their own group of friends?

In my opinion, the orientation and the beginning of one’s studies plays a crucial role in getting new friends. It is extremely important that everyone feels welcome and that they are accepted as they are. Tutoring groups are important in this: many people find their first contacts there. 

In addition to our guild, there are a ton of different student clubs and associations, where people with similar interests meet. If the guild doesn’t feel like home, new students should be informed about the existence and events of the clubs. This is already being done for example in the Fuksi Guide and in different events, such as OtaOrienteering. The important idea here is to encourage new students to get involved with the student community in a way that suits them well. 

3. PT has over 200 fuksis starting each year. What challenges and opportunities do you see this bringing to PT’s fuksi education?

PT is one of the largest guilds in Otaniemi, and that has an impact on fuksi-upbringing. Due to the numbers, there will be many active fuksis, and the guild’s events will surely have a good amount of participants. I also believe that mandatory fuksipoints could be easier to fit into one’s schedule, since there will be many groups and time slots available. In addition, CHEM’s guilds can benefit from fuksi workpoints for organizing events. 

On the other hand, the large number of fuksis require a lot of organization in terms of events, overalls, workpoints, song tests, and so on. In addition, not everyone who wants to join events with limited spots, such as excursions, may be able to participate. I wouldn’t worry too much, since these challenges have been overcome before! 

4. How would you promote equality between Finnish- and English-speaking bachelor fuksis?

Finnish is a notoriously difficult language, and because of that, language skills often exclude English-speaking students from Finnish-language events. For many Finns, their English skills are just fine, but people often don’t bother to make the effort to also speak or write in English. I would like to change these attitudes toward language and actively encourage the use of English. 

English should be used in different communication channels, newsletters, information messages concerning events and discussions in fuksigroup projects. I also vouch for singing and donkey-bridging more in English. With small actions, we could promote the equality between English-speaking and Finnish-speaking bachelor’s fuksis.

5. Being Fuksi Captain is teamwork. What kind of partner would you like for yourself and what kind of partner would you be? How would you maintain a good atmosphere and working habits with your partner?

I would like to have a partner, who is able to handle their responsibilities and who has trust in their own work. It is also important that my partner knows their limits and that they don’t overwork themself. It is important to share your workload to others when necessary. 

I would be a responsible partner, who does their share of the work. I would also try to communicate openly about the problems we would come across as a team. It is almost always easier to solve problems together. I would also be a partner, who is ready to share my own ideas and act on them. 

The most important aspect of a great partnership is open and clear communication: you need to be able to talk openly about your own wellbeing, the division of work, and the challenges that come up. Clear communication helps prevent misunderstandings. For example, a wrong date or time in an event announcement could affect the schedules of hundreds of people. 

Maintaining a good atmosphere is important! A great duo is able to complete agreed tasks on time and to ask the partner for help when needed. A pair works well, when both people can trust each other. A good atmosphere is also maintained by occasionally doing something that isn’t related to being a Fuksi Captain. I think that could definitely be refreshing at times!