National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK

Introduction: I’m Helena, the President of SAMOK. My responsibilities this year will particularly include political advocacy , leadership, and the parliamentary elections. In my free time, I enjoy good food and music, yoga, series and films, books, and swimming (including ice swimming). I also occasionally like visiting museums and browsing flea markets! At home, I have two cats, Didi and Missy!

I am Laura Laakso, Vice Chairperson of the Board at SAMOK. My areas of responsibility include health and wellbeing policy, generational policy, and political leadership. In my free time, I enjoy activities such as jogging and reading books. I like nature and animals. I look forward to everything that 2026 will bring to the field of student advocacy!

I’m Suvi and I serve as a board member of SAMOK. I graduated with a Bachelor of Hospitality Management in tourism in the summer of 2025. At SAMOK, my responsibilities include student financial aid and housing , communication , and SAMOK’s anniversary celebration. My career in the student movement started in a subject association in 2022. In my free time, I enjoy video games, like watching the same series and films over again, and also read (or listen to) books.

I am Senja and I am a member of the SAMOK Executive Board this year. My responsibilities include EU advocacy, international students, international organisational relations and fundraising. I am studying to become a community educator, specialising in work community development. In my free time, you can often find me at pilates, on my sofa with my cat, or enjoying live music!

I’m Vellu, other manifestation of SAMOK’s management. At SAMOK, I am responsible for the operation and development of the administration and I am the staff supervisor.

In my free time, I cycle and engage in related advocacy activities, read, do a cycling podcast, and produce dad jokes.

I’m Aleksi, SAMOK’s communications and services advisor. I’m responsible for implementing and coordinating communications, events and training and for managing partnerships.

I coordinate communications and provide instructions and training when necessary. In practice, my duties includes assisting in releasing statements, maintaining the website and coordinating social media communications. I also do content production and proofreading. I edit SAMOK’s newsletter together with the board member responsible for communications, I am responsible for the implementing the communications strategy and ensuring it is up-to-date, and I am involved in the planning of influencer communications.

I am also responsible for planning, organising and marketing events and for communciation related to events. My work also includes developing and coordinating services, planning training related to various projects and serving as a sparring partner.

In addition to these, I am responsible for SAMOK’s fundraising and partnerships.

In my free time I enjoy travelling, badminton and good food and wine.

I’m Jere Tapio, SAMOK’s Senior Specialist in Well-being Policy.

In the field of student health and well-being, my main responsibility is advocacy related to the FSHS (Finnish Student Health Service). I serve on the FSHS Board and coordinate and support related advocacy all the way down to the local level. In addition, I keep a close eye on national social and health policy debates, safeguarding students’ interests—for example from the perspective of service funding. On equality, I help ensure that student life is recognised in all its diversity and that students’ voices are heard when discussing intergenerational justice.

I’m also responsible for coordinating advocacy work between different stakeholders. In short, I make sure SAMOK’s voice is heard widely, at the right time and with impact. One example is preparing and executing our advocacy around the upcoming parliamentary elections and government formation talks—making the most of our office’s diverse expertise.

In my free time, I love good food and coffee breaks, and I reset by being active—both as a participant and a spectator. With more time on my hands, I head out on trips into nature.

I’m Erica, social policy specialist at SAMOK. I work with students’ livelihoods, benefit systems and housing.

In terms of income and benefit systems, I am responsible for advocacy work related to students’ social security. The most important issues in my work include the student financial aid reform and the social security reform. In student housing, we work actively to ensure that students have the opportunity to live in reasonably priced housing with good transport connections.

In addition to national advocacy activities, I train and support student unions in local advocacy work.

I’m Johanna, SAMOK’s education policy expert. The biggest things on my desk are funding and higher educational institution steering, as well as the development and quality of higher education. In practice, this includes investigation, discussions, writing, participating in working groups, and presenting SAMOK’s views on e.g. annual tuition fees, student feedback, quality systems, the development of teaching, research, development and innovation activities, digitalisation, student admissions, and degree structures.

In addition to education policy affairs, I coordinate SAMOK’s advocacy activities. It is my responsibility to ensure that SAMOK always has a plan for who to meet and when and what information should be generated at any given time. The entire office is involved in the implementation of such plans.

I spend my free time with my family and travelling between three major cities. I live in an old wooden house in Turku, so I also get to enjoy both minor and major home renovation activities in my free time.