The Dean has selected the first Dean’s Impact Award winners

Timo Korkeamäki, Dean of the School of Business, will award the new Dean's Impact Award for the first time in December 2023. The award is given to two students who have promoted a sustainable future at Aalto or more broadly, and whose actions have conveyed one or more of Aalto's values, which are responsibility, courage and collaboration. 

The dean has decided to give the award to two students, both of whom will receive a EUR 1,000 scholarship. The award-winning students are Tua Halen and Anh Nguyen. In addition to them, three students, Akseli Kajander, Valtteri Mattila and Heta Kenttämaa, received an honorary mention. They will each receive an equal share of a single EUR 1,000 scholarship. The actions awarded with a full scholarship involved the wider community, but this time the awards are aimed at people named in the proposals.

Tua Halen is being awarded for her active participation in anti-harassment work in Aalto student organisations. Among other things, she has been involved in creating common practices for combating harassment at (business student association) KY and in the Aalto community, especially when working in the OASIS of Radical Wellbeing project as a well-being ambassador. In addition, she has trained Aalto's students and organizations on harassment liaison activities and has been involved in producing a guide for AYY to reduce harassment.

Anh Nguyen has promoted sustainable development by acting as an informal ambassador to the "Mikkeli Municipality Youth Community" for all BScBA students. She and her fellow students also founded the first "Planeteers" club for sustainable development at the Mikkeli Campus. Nguyen's Bachelor thesis was about "Education for Sustainable Development and Sustainability Competencies".

Honourable mentions were given to Akseli Kajander, Valtteri Mattila and Heta Kenttämaa, who travelled to their European Bachelor's and Master's degree exchange destinations in a more environmentally friendly manner throughout the country. Their honourable mentions were awarded for their “pioneering”. The students received an extra Green mobility travel grant in Erasmus+ for their travels. However, the travel grant did not cover all of their travel costs, which were higher than the cost of flying. 

Eleven students or student groups were nominated as recipients of the award for their various actions or initiatives. All of the proposals were good. Anyone could submit proposals with explanations by the deadline, i.e. the end of October.  

The Dean's Impact Award will be given out again next autumn.

Congratulations to the award winners!

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