JAMKO’s Chairpersons elected to SAMOK for 2024
Asta and Lauri are continuing collaboration in national trusteeship work
Student Union JAMKO made history when two JAMKO representatives were unexpectedly elected to The National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK for 2024. JAMKO Chairperson Lauri Kujala was elected as SAMOK’s Chairperson and JAMKO Vice Chairperson Asta Nieminen as a member of the Board at SAMOK’s 28th Annual General Assembly, which was held on 26-27 October 2023 in Rovaniemi.
JAMKO candidates have generally done well when applying to SAMOK, but never have two candidates been elected at the same time. Originally, only Kujala was a candidate for SAMOK, but during the General Assembly, Nieminen was given the opportunity to stand as well due to the shortage of candidates. In the end, the General Assembly received 6 candidates and elected 3 of them to the Board.
“I had thought about running earlier this spring, but I gave way to Lauri,” Nieminen says. “But I realised that there are not too many opportunities like this in life and I would have regretted it more if I hadn’t run.” Nieminen is in her fourth year of studying for a degree in Tourism Management at Jamk, and has worked at JAMKO for two years, following Kujala’s example.
Sanni Koivuluoma (Laurea University of Applied Sciences’ Student Union Laureamko) was elected as Vice Chairperson. In addition to Nieminen, Linda Vallenius (Tampere University of Applied Sciences’ student union Tamko) and Janina Brunfeldt (Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences’ student union Helga) were elected to the Board.
The National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK ry is a national advocacy and service organisation founded in 1996, whose policies are determined by a Board elected annually at the Association’s General Assembly. The student unions determine the guidelines of the association at the General Assembly.
Kujala and Nieminen will start working in January 2024 at SAMOK’s office in Helsinki.
Read the press release on Kujala’s election here
More information
Lauri Kujala
+358 44 3211 500
lauri.kujala@jamko.fi
Asta Nieminen
+358 44 3211 550
asta.nieminen@jamko.fi