International Business student Auri Airisniemi came to study in Oulu University of Applied Sciences from Ireland. She is half Finnish and half Zambian but has grown up in Ireland.

Auri Airisniemi moved to Finland to study International Business in Oulu University of Applied Sciences. She has Finnish and Zambian roots but has lived the most of her life in Ireland.

– I was born in Africa but mom got remarried and we moved to Ireland when I was little. In recent years I’ve wanted to get more in touch with my roots and I thought that I want to apply to study, Auri tells.

Besides Auri’s roots, she wanted to apply to study in Finland because of the high level of education there. She chose Oulu over the other cities because it’s not too big, so it’s easier to integrate into a new society and different culture. At first, she was going to apply to the university but then she met a girl on the plane who had studied in Oamk.

– The girl told me that Oamk is a better option because of the practicality of the studies there. I don’t like studying just by learning theory and reading books, so the way things are taught in Oamk sounded perfect for me.

Auri finds International Business as a great degree for her because it’s so broad that it gives a lot of different opportunities for working life.

– I like the idea that you can do almost anything with a business degree. I have a friend who has an International Business degree and now he is going to study psychology. He wants to open his own practice and the business degree will help him with that.

Auri also thinks that International Business degree gives you good skills for working with different people.

– Globalization is a big thing so it’s very important that you learn how to deal with different cultures and approach them.

Auri has enjoyed the way they study and learn in Oamk. She likes that everything is done in modules and themes.

– I really like that we take one theme at a time and focus just on that. By the end of the module we can easily analyze the studies, understand its contents and put it into practice in working life.

Auri tells that the first year of the studies is like an introductory year where they get a broad overview of the things related to international business. She especially liked the way the first year ended.

– We had a course for entrepreneurship where we did a project with engineers. They had a product and we had to come up with a business plan and that was very interesting because I saw that it was really easy for me. I liked that it was like a final test of everything we had learned throughout the year.

The snow and how the country is run are the things that Auri likes the most about Finland.

– I like that everything here works so well and people are very social in a way they look after each other.

Auri thinks that even the distance between cities is nice.

– If you like nature, you can just say: ”You know what, I need to take a break so I’m just going to walk in the forest across the road” and if you do get bored, Helsinki is just a one hour flight away.

What Auri likes in Oulu is that the city is so intimate and small in a way that everything you need is really accessible.

– Once you’re in the city centre, everything is like 5–10 minutes walk away. It’s also a very peaceful city.

After graduating Auri considers studying a Master’s degree. She also has already started her own business and is working as a part-time entrepreneur and she hopes that could be her main source of income in the future. Her biggest dream regarding her career is to help to bridge the gap between Finland and African nations.

– I would love to work with Finnish companies and help them to bring Finnish culture into African countries and vice-versa.