I am a 33 year old first term city council and education committee member of the city of Oulu. I work as a Finnish Language and Communication University Teacher at the Centre for Languages and Communication at the University of Oulu. I specialize in teaching Finnish as a second language to international students and staff, but also communication courses to university students of different fields. I am a master of humanities, with teaching certificates in Finnish Language & Literature, Ethics and Finnish as a second language. Before teaching at the university, I taught high school students and immigrant adults.

I live in Jylkynkangas in the Kuivasjärvi area, together with my husband and 4-year-old child. I moved to Oulu when I was 18 years old to pursue my university degree and I’ve enjoyed myself here already for almost 15 years. It is hard to imagine living elsewhere anymore. I grew up in the rural city of Kiuruvesi, and lived most of my life in a dairy cattle farm.

Being involved in decision making has always been an interest of mine. I started as a Kiuruvesi youth council member in the 7th grade, and during high school I acted as the chairperson. Immediately after starting my university studies, I also started being active in the student association and later the student union. These ended up being very important communities for me. Without them I would not be a city politician, and most of all I would not be me.

In the previous city elections I was elected to the city council already as a first time candidate. I also got the dream position as a member of the city’s education committee (which also included culture at the start of the term). It is important for me to work impactfully and according to my values. In addition to my important teaching career, it has been a privilege to participate in the important work of the education council, while also gaining important experience about educational policymaking.

As a person, I am empathetic and productive. I cooperate with other people, and it is common for me to make decisions with discussions, questioning and based on facts. Educational policy is my main passion and strength, but topics regarding equality and the environment are also non-negotiable for me. I want to continue my work with the city decision making, because I care about Oulu: the playground of our daycare, cargo biking through the baana bike paths, the children’s section of the mobile library bus and the atmosphere of Torinranta in summer evenings.

I think the world needs more authenticity, listening and intelligent discussions.