Juho Talsta

Grrreetings pals!

My name is Juho, I’m a second-year student at CHEM, majoring in chemical and process engineering, and I’m applying for the role of Fuksi Captain of Prosessiteekkarit for the year of 2023.

Ever since I was young, I have been able to admire from the side, how overalls and a cap can bring such different and unique people together, creating a beautiful and incomparable community. I can proudly say that I am now a part of this community.

The highlights of my fuksi year and my wonderful start to the tupsu year, have been built around the events and the irreplaceable people I’ve met along the way. It is these incredible experiences of mine that are the core reason why I am applying to be a Fuksi Captain. I want to show respect to the past generations and give the same joyful and welcoming feeling they gave me to the future generation of Prosessiteekkarit.

When I started my studies here at the cradle of technology, the warm reception of the Teekkari community created a feeling that I was a part of something bigger than myself since the very first day. As soon as the orientation week and the first events started, the heart of my inner organizer started to flutter. The events left me with incredible memories and the knowledge that I could be a part of producing this joy made me even more excited for the future.

During my short but rewarding career at Prosessiteekkarit, I have been able to become an ISO and work as an assistant IE. I also had the honor of designing and implementing both the fuksi and the Kavitaatio badge. During the process I got to know wonderful people within our association and guilds but also across guild boundaries. I have discovered new strengths during the process of becoming a Prosessiteekkari, such as the courage to put myself out there without prejudices. I feel that Teekkarius still has much more to offer me, but I also know that I have a lot more to offer to Teekkarius.

Perhaps the most substantial way I can do my part and show respect to our honorable but jolly culture and community is to do everything I can to ensure that the new fuksis feel as welcome to Otaniemi as I and the Teekkari-generations before me felt.

Starting university, the very first day as an ISO or stepping into the shoes of a Fuksi Captain are all huge leaps and at first even scary changes in one’s life. However, the most important thing in the midst of all this is to remember that the system of change is not closed and that the community, which is built around teamwork, is always there to support us. In my opinion, this is the most essential experience that every fuksi starting at Prosessiteekkarit should experience.

I am brisk. I am ready to learn.

Thank you for reading my application! I am more than happy to answer any questions or thoughts that my application may have raised.

You can also come and ask any questions or just chat with me on Telegram @juhotal 🙂

1. If you were Fuksi Captain, what would your goal for the next 1.5 years be? How would you develop the different aspects of fuksi activities? What would you like to keep?

My main goal for my possible term as fuksi captain would be to make our future fuksis feel as welcome as possible and to grow them into a part of our association. In order to guarantee a memorable fuksi-year, I feel that creating a close feeling of unity between the board members and other internal and external actors of our association is absolutely crucial.

In fuksi-education, I would like to bring out at the same time even more of our association’s history and future via the old guilds. I believe that if fuksis were more interested in old guilds, it would bring our association into an even tighter community, and it would encourage fuksis to actively participate in the events of guilds outside of our association and other Teekkari-activities.

2. Students who do not feel that they belong to a community or have relationships 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 the community or help them to find their own group of friends?

When the fuksis join us, it would be important that an open, easily approachable and engaging environment has been formed with the help of ISOs and other associations actives. In this function, the role of ISOs is emphasized even more, as the goal is to create a safe environment for each fuksi with the fuksi-groups formed by ISOs. In my opinion, the fuksi-group activity could be expanded, for example, with possible buddy-group activity organized by ISOs, the ISO Officer and Fuksi Captains. The group activity would make it easier to get to know the fuksis of another group at a low threshold and thus help to find one’s own group of friends.

During the fuksi-year’s fall, I would also increase the awareness of other guilds and Aalto’s countless clubs, so that everyone’s chance of finding meaningful activities and like-minded people would increase. We already have great events where different associations and clubs are presented around the campus area, and I would keep them in the center during the first weeks. Fun and unforgettable experiences at a group event or at a sitz table lead to important and irreplaceable friendships. I think that the most important thing is to provide as broad of a platform as possible for such experiences.

3. Given the large amount of PT fuksis and the possible increase in intake next year, how would you prepare for the above questions?

The large and still growing intake of fuksis brings challenges, especially for the individual meeting between Fuksi Captains and the fuksis. In this situation, the responsibility of the ISOs in the reception of fuksis and personal meetings is emphasized even more, so that the fuksis can be offered the best possible starting point for grouping and starting university life. As the fuksi quota increases, the quota of ISOs must also increase, which adds to the ISO Officer and the training of ISOs. A sufficient ratio of fuksis and ISOs guarantees that the group sizes of fuksi-groups remain reasonable. As the number of participants in the events increases, the buddy-group meetings I mentioned above, where a couple of fuksi-groups would get together, would be a great addition to the typical checkpoint style events. By increasing the responsibility of ISOs as organizers of meetings and other small activities, it would give fuksis an excellent starting point to get to know each other among groups in addition to larger events.

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

In my opinion, promoting the equality of fuksis would start with improving the grouping of ISOs. During the training phase of the ISOs, the ISOs of the English- and Finnish-speaking groups should be better brought together. Through the grouping of ISOs, the central organization of meetings would also promote the breaking down of the language barrier of the next year and better integrate English-speaking fuksis into the activities. The bilingualism of information and events is not a new acquaintance for anyone, and I think it is good to keep in mind the starting point, that none of the exclusions from an event or activity should be due to a language barrier.

Buddy-group activities would help fuksi-groups with different languages to get to know each other, and in this case too, the importance of ISOs cannot be overemphasized. In my opinion, the promoting of equality should therefore start by making the grouping of future ISOs more efficient, by increasing events among ISOs, and by organizing activities in which every fuksi can participate without a threshold.

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 good atmosphere and working habits with your partner?

I would like a partner who is enthusiastic, ready to take on challenges and is not afraid of failure. With a brisk and inspiring partner, planning and implementing activities for fuksis would be effective and, above all, fun. I would like a partner who is motivated and works devotedly towards our common goal, which is a great fuksi-year and the fuksis eventually earning their very own Teekkari-cap on Wappu (if it comes at all…).

I would maintain good couple dynamics by taking care of communication and the sharing of responsibilities. The most important thing in sharing responsibilities is making compromises and taking the partner into account in every situation. The most important thing in teamwork is to remember that such a big responsibility is not made to be carried alone and that there is a partner by your side, who is always ready to help and is open, smiling and honest. Fuksi-year experinces are exiting and amazing for both fuksis and Fuksi Captains, and when working as a couple, the joy shared with a friend is the best joy!