Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Undergraduate degree)

Moving to the United States was not an easy decision for me as a young woman who had only lived in small towns in Finland. Still, as I always wanted adventure and challenge, I wanted to see what it would be like to live, study, and do sports at Virginia Tech.

As a varsity student-athlete in Virginia Tech's track and field team, I very quickly learned that while going through a major culture shock, I was expected to also excel in the classroom and practice. The first 1.5 years flew by fast trying to understand the new environment and changing my major multiple times, but soon I started to seek ways to be involved more on campus and build my resume. I started to be more involved with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and got accepted for Virginia Tech's faculty-led, student-run marketing agency PRISM, which filled my calendar quickly and gave me extremely valuable experience.

I ended up finishing my undergraduate work early, in seven semesters instead of the regular eight, and also started the studies for the master's degree before graduating in May 2024.