Pihla Ravela

Hii! I’m Pihla, a second year student in the Chemical Engineering major. In the guild I have worked as both CanCan responsible and headISO. In both roles, I have been able to inspire and create a sense of community, and gained important experience in how to keep a low barrier to entry. I also have experience from multiple years of Protu-camps, where the whole week is planned and run together.

On top of my excitement, I already have practical planning and group guidance experience, which gives me a great foundation to learn even more. I get a lot of enjoyment out of being able to do volunteer work, and I know that my joy is contagious. Being a Teekkari and volunteer work has really swept me away, and it would be an honor to be able to do that at a larger scale. One thing that I really admire in Aalto, is that traditions are respected, while also continuing to work to make them more inclusive and approachable. I would love to continue to learn more, and share my knowledge with fuksis.

I love talking to people! I have good situational awareness and naturally make sure everyone is included. I think that this makes me easily approachable. As a fuksi captain I would really appreciate the opportunity to do a lot, from small practical crafts and hanging out, to larger scale event planning and execution. I love taking what exists, finding what works well, and what could work even better with some tweaking.

One thing that I think is vital, is creating a sense of community. I have been able to be a part of building a community in both CanCan and Chem Eng, and see firsthand the huge impact it has on wellbeing, belonging and guild-activity. I would really like to highlight creating a sense of community and togetherness in fuksi activities for both all of PT, and various smaller groups within.

PT has given me a lot, and I have tons of motivation and energy to give back. Being on the board also interests me, and I want to put my effort into bettering the guild.. I believe that I will both enjoy it a lot, and be able to do meaningful work. As a board member, I would also be active and communicating, and there to build a sense of togetherness.

I will gladly answer any questions!

Pihla

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

My main goal would be building a sense of community. This goes for all fuksis and various other groups within, and includes integrating Finnish- and English- speaking fuksis.

I would want to organize high-quality, welcoming events that are easy to attend even if you don’t know anyone yet. Clear communication about events and everything going on is also vital.

Personally, I would like to be as approachable as possible during my time as a Fuksi Captain and afterwards, and take all of the enjoyment I can out of being a captain and a board member.

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?

One part of this is making sure that fuksis know of a lot of different opportunities that university life offers, and the value volunteering can bring. I would highlight the wide variety of associations at Aalto, leveraging ISOs as a key resource since their personal experiences make recommending associations much more relatable. I also want to bring attention to the activities PT currently has, such as the sports teams and craft club. This would be best done in cooperation with the SUV and relevant officials.

A current issue is that a lot of events cater most to those who are already social and well connected. There is a need for more events specifically designed for making new friends, rather than just hanging out with existing groups. The fuksi friendsmaking event that we organized as Chem Eng ISOs is something I see great potential in, and would love to modify it to work at a larger scale.

Combining multiple fuksi groups for shared events could balance having the comfort of your own group with a low-pressure way to meet new people. Bringing ISOs together to organize these hangouts would also be a valuable way for ISOs to be active.

Something that also plays an important part is accessibility. Not knowing what an event entails can cause a lot of stress or anxiety, leading to missing out on something that would have been enjoyable. Clear schedule info is also essential for those balancing busy lives. Events can be really overwhelming, so having calmer, more casual events is a tool for accessibility. I would make sure to make it extremely clear that among all the secrecy and “you’ll find out when you find out” talk, reaching out if you have any questions or concerns is always possible. Visible effort toward accessibility demonstrates to the entire community that we value inclusion and genuinely care about everyone.

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

With over 200 fuksis, there is a lot of work involved in making sure no one gets overlooked, and the workload of the Fuksi Captains increases. On the flipside, I see the possibility of being able to have an impact on so many people as a great personal motivator and would be excited to take on that work. Close collaboration with ISOs and the BIGboss is important, as ISOs generally have good knowledge on how things are going with their group.

Having so many different people with different interests allows for different kinds of events to be held and still have participants. It provides incredible opportunities to find people with similar interests, even if navigating such a large group to find those connections can be a challenge.

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

Drawing from my own experience on the English side, I want to keep a close dialogue with Chem Eng ISOs, the CEO, and fuksis to ensure we understand the challenges. With recent efforts, Chem Eng has started to feel more like a community, which has been really amazing to witness, and is valuable for the future. For example, I would like to keep a Chem Eng collaborative fuksi group event. The next step is to get the Finnish and English sides to be less separated. The same concept of having events that encourage interaction outside of your own friend group applies here. When there are natural ways to meet across language barriers, making friends doesn’t get blocked by language, and mutual understanding grows. Cross-language friendships encourage Finnish speakers to join English-language events, as attending with a friend is always less intimidating.

Different fuksi-led projects and groups, such as the yearbook, CanCan, and the Otatarha grand prix vehicle building are a great way to form friendships. Making sure that participation has a low barrier for entry for everyone is vital. A lot of this falls on the shoulders of the responsibles of each project, and I would like to emphasize the importance of bilingual communication to them, and help support if needed, so that language skills don’t stop anyone from taking responsibility and enjoying volunteering.

There are also a lot of practical things that I would do. Ensuring translations are consistent, complete, and clearly explain student terms is essential. Introducing international students to Teekkari traditions in a way that makes them approachable and understandable is vital, as translations often need a lot of context and explanation. Accounting for language barriers and various other Chem Eng oddities in planning and communication is a small effort that makes a huge difference for inclusion.

Lastly, we need to make sure that equality between Finnish and English speakers doesn’t end after the fuksi year. Having older students who can wholeheartedly say that PT is welcoming of English speakers is something that will encourage the fuksis to stay active. I would like to work on this as a board member. Focusing on equality doesn’t just help the English speakers. Many of the actions that work for making sure the English speakers are welcomed are the same actions that help make sure that no one is left behind, and a strong sense of community is built.

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 am social, enthusiastic and work well with everyone. I know how to balance a large workload, and can find enjoyment even in challenging moments.

I would want someone that is ready for the adventure ahead, and can enjoy the journey. I think that anyone that has good motivation for this role would make an amazing partner.

Some things that I want from our partnership are good communication, trust, and friendship. It is rare that everything goes according to plan and we agree on everything, so being able to adapt and bring up concerns with my partner would be important. Building a friendship obviously makes working more enjoyable, and is something that I find valuable. Having a working relationship where we can both be completely ourselves while getting things done is key.