The speeches for the graduation ceremony 7.6. are available: Vice Rector/Director of Education Päivi Marjanen and Senior Lecturer Pia Lundbom

Humak’s graduation ceremony will be held as an online event on Friday, June 7, 2024. Starting at 13:00 on Humak’s YouTube channel. Vice Rector/Director of Education Päivi Marjanen and Senior Lecturer Pia Lundbom’s  speeches are in Finnish. The speeches are also available in both English and Finnish in this news article.

 

Vice Rector/Director of Education Päivi Marjanen: Speech for Graduating Students

Dear Graduates, our new experts entering the workforce,

We all have our own memories of end-of-year school celebrations. At the forefront in my mind is the image of blue skies, fresh new greenery and a sense of freedom. Spring celebrations have come and gone, but the unique atmosphere in the ceremonies has prevailed. It is the day that marks the beginning of both summer and of freedom.

Today, you leave behind years of learning new skills and building your professional identity, while living your lives as young people or already working as experts in the world of work. Whatever the case may be, your student years will remain an exceptional and memorable period in the course of your lives.

A degree earned at Humak – both a bachelor’s and a master’s – equips you with a broad range of expertise for the changing demands of working life. I believe that it is precisely the generic nature of our degree programmes that will give you the key to success in a world of work that is always changing and evolving. Studies have shown that a wide range of expertise is a requirement in the future world of work. It is also essential to keep acquiring new knowhow throughout your entire career. The questionnaire survey sent out to our graduates, as well as the interview assignments you have completed, also confirm that this is, indeed, the case.

All of the studies seem to agree that learning to learn, multiliteracy and general life skills are important cornerstones of expertise. Above all, the future world of work requires the ability to cope with uncertainty and insecurity, to evolve when it comes to attitudes and values, as well as to act reliably and with purpose.

The expertise acquired at our University of Applied Sciences – including knowledge, skills and attitudes alike – are a sought-after currency in the sphere of work. As a student, you have most likely looked to Humak to provide you with a degree, high-quality instruction and the tools to enter the workforce. We, on our end, have also sought to ensure that your acquired expertise will meet the demands of the world of work.

A new arrival in our time is artificial, or augmented intelligence. As any researcher of artificial intelligence will tell you, AI represents a revolution on a par with the advent of the Internet when it comes to work in the future. I’m sure each and every one of you graduates have already experimented with various AI tools. The new technology saves time and opens up new types of opportunities for work. Universities are now considering how, for example, prompting, which is to say the instruction of artificial intelligence, should be integrated into higher learning. On the other hand, I believe that the new tools will also be a cause of inequality and that it will become increasingly important to ensure that all people are able to encounter and access the technological advances.

Graduating from Humak entails a strong value-based message that holds relevance and meaning in the changing world. In accordance with our base values, we seek to develop a more equitable society that will stand for human beings, humanity and human rights. Our message is powerful: we defend the human individual and equality among people in this world of constant change. I’m reminded of the words of Chief Secretary Anita Lehikoinen in her speech at Humak’s 25th anniversary celebration: “if Humak had not been founded 25 years ago, now would be the eleventh hour to do so.” You can be proud to join the Humak alumni, the builders of a better world.

You have achieved an important milestone in your lives. I urge you to go out into the world with a curious mind, open to new thoughts and opportunities. Believe in yourselves and in your ability to put your expertise to work for regenerating the world of work.

I also wish you gentle summer breezes, days spent looking at cotton wool clouds and stopping to be present in the moment. It is time to enjoy the summer.

I would like to conclude with the opening lines from the poem Ääretön imaginääri (“The Infinate Imaginary”) written by Maija Haavisto in 2002.

Olet sata kertaa kaunis
tuhat kertaa viisas.
Sinulla on kaksi sydäntä
seitsemät aivot
se on osoitettu lukuisia kertoja.

You’re a hundred times beautiful
a thousand times wise.
You have two hearts
seven brains
it has been proven many times over.

(translated into English for this speech)

My warmest congratulations to you all!

 

Principal Lecturer Pia Lundbom: The Power of Belonging

Dear graduates, ladies and gentlemen,

On this glorious June day, we have a lot to celebrate and share with each other. Many of you have achieved a significant milestone and have concluded your degree programme. This moment of celebration is a turning point and a transition towards something new.

This is a joyous time for all of us – another academic year is behind us, and we are turning over a new leaf in our story. Over the course of the year, we have come together to follow paths that have, at times, been confusing and winding, sometimes facing steep uphill treks and setbacks. We have rejoiced in our successes, in encountering others and in being able to finish what we started. We have been able to share, connect and experience togetherness.

One might ask what we would have if we did not have community. Not much, I would say.

A community can be defined in many ways, and, as a term, it has a multitude of meanings. Life itself is multifaceted and in a constant state of flux – and so are also the needs for expertise and the expectations of the world of work, as well as the forecasts for the future. Experiences of belonging to a community, of inclusion and being encountered, are important to each and every one of us, whether we are talking about a student or workplace community, a hobby group or the communities formed by family, friends or neighbourhoods. A community is always more than just one individual, and it is more than the quantitative sum of its members. All of us – staff, students, graduates and partners – belong to the Humak community, and the role signified by belonging to the community may shift and change many times over during the course of one’s life. People can study at different stages of their life, and the need for various types of expertise also change as people advance in their careers. Many of Humak’s students are already seasoned professionals when they start their studies and may come to us seeking career fine-tuning and to broaden their professional horizons. Many of our students complete their degree entirely or almost entirely online. Whether enrolled as an online student or on campus, students acquire a sense of community and belonging in situations where they have something in common with others. The graduates become Humak alumni and partners. At some point, they may even become our coworkers. The interpersonal community will naturally evolve over time. Technological advances have brought a number of new developments, but also new ways of experiencing and localising community. Human interaction and the sense of being encountered are also possible via varied technological applications and platforms. Inclusion and connection are built through various shared moments.

I know I’m repeating myself when I say that community is born out of social encounters. At its best, the experience of belonging, the sense of being part of something larger, can carry a person through difficult moments. It can teach, strengthen and enable the identification of new perspectives, mindsets and ways to act. The fields of education at Humak all foster inclusion and community in their own ways. Our working culture entails the idea of promoting accessibility, supporting inclusion and improving operational and functional preconditions. Humak graduates are facilitators, activators, creators of space for speech, producers of new ideas and individuals who are not afraid to use their voice.

The concept of social capital is often mentioned in today’s societal discussion. It captures, in its most pared-back form, the way in which we become ‘us’ and how we begin to experience a sense of collective being. For political scientist Robert Putnam, the key element of social capital is trust. Trust, and the experience and sense of trust, is the force that holds up a community. Trust does not come automatically, but requires affinity and familiarity. In order for familiarity and trust to arise, we need interaction, reciprocity and opportunities to build a sense of belonging. Trust enhances our social and human capital.

The question of who is part of ‘us’ is, by no means, completely unproblematic. From the perspective of wellbeing, for example, the experience of not being part of ‘us’ but feeling left out and like an outsider can be a huge issue. Today, many experts do a significant part of their work remotely, which has its indisputable benefits but can also lead to loneliness and a sense of exclusion, unfamiliarity and powerlessness. Life also has its share of setbacks and adversity.

Responsibility and responsible agency can be forgotten and overlooked. In a community, everyone is responsible for their own actions and for how they look after each other. Do we think upon this enough, I wonder? Could we do even more for the common good and for the wellbeing of all? It does not take magic tricks and acrobatics to be a decent human being, to be human to our fellow humans.

Community is a resource that not only holds us up but also creates abilities to solve a multitude of problems and issues. In a community, each individual will ideally be able to utilise their own particular strengths. Sharing builds community and enables the community to become stronger. We, ourselves, have the opportunity to choose what we add to a community, what we bring with us to shared moments and how we make the community stronger. We can all do our part in making any community a powerful resource.

In a work and study environment, commitment, motivation and a willingness to resolve various situations together are among the building blocks of community. Respecting, appreciating and supporting others is a source of strength and empowerment. Bearing in mind that you can only succeed together will help you through difficult times. A community can give you the support system that can turn into a well of power, innovation and new ideas.

Belonging is a resource to be cherished and nurtured.

 

Suggested reading:

Kangaspunta, S. 2011 (toim.). Yksilöllinen yhteisöllisyys. Avaimia yhteisöllisyyden muutoksen ymmärtämiseen. Tampere University Press. Kangaspunta_Yksilollinen_yhteisollisyys.pdf (tuni.fi)

Kuosmanen, V. 2020. Aika, arvot ja identiteetti–Itseohjautuminen ja tutkiva oppiminen 2020-luvun kestävän kehityksen näyttämöllä. Lapin ammattikorkeakoulu. Sarja D. Muut julkaisut. Rovaniemi: Lapin ammattikorkeakoulu. https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/349263

Putnam, R. D. 2001. Social capital: Measurement and consequences. Canadian Journal of Policy Research, 2, 41-51.

Ruuskanen, P. 2001. Sosiaalinen pääoma – käsitteet, suuntaukset ja mekanismit. VATTtutkimuksia 81. Valtion taloudellinen tutkimuskeskus, Helsinki.