I am currently studying journalism at Oulu University of Applied Sciences. When the internship became relevant at the beginning of my third year I wanted to find my way to the field of communication. Upon securing an internship at Kerttu Saalasti Institute, I felt like I was returning to my roots, as I had previously majored in Finnish language in the University of Oulu. I thought that as an intern at the Kerttu Saalasti Institute, I would finally gain practical experience in a high-quality science and research communication in a diverse and interesting working environment.
For a former humanities student from the University of Oulu, Kerttu Saalasti Institute located on the other side of the campus was previously unfamiliar. At the beginning of the internship, I stood at the edge of an unexplored tundra, as there was much to learn about research groups, projects and the institute itself. However, I did not let myself be overwhelmed by the flood of information; instead, I mapped out the activities of Kerttu Saalasti Institute piece by piece. Now that the first month of the internship is almost over, I have grasped the Institute’s communication and taken a step closer to the communication expert role I aspire to.
So far, I have thoroughly familiarized myself with Kerttu Saalasti Institute’s communication channels and their content. I have learned a lot about the types of communication that can occur within and outside the Institute. Content production tasks, such as updating social media, writing blog posts, translating and editing and compiling a newsletter, have been a part of my daily routine since the beginning of the internship. We have also ventured outside the campus once, as we participated in Liekkipiste 2025 event in Ruka in Kuusamo. More traveling is planned for later in the summer, which will further broaden my experience palette.
I expect a lot from the coming months, as there are many different tasks ahead, from photographing to recording podcasts. I hope to leave my written mark to Kerttu Saalasti Institute’s communication channels and properly warm up my photo and video editing skills so that I can support my texts with visual elements. I will surely receive many tips from Minna Kilpeläinen, who has a long experience in writing, photography and audiovisual content production. Later, I will also get to plan Kerttu Saalasti Institute’s anniversary podcasts with Eija-Riitta Niinikoski.
A good internship offers the intern enough responsibility. You learn best when you are treated as an equal member of the work community. However, the intern must also be allowed to be unaware sometimes, because the whole purpose of the internship is to learn new things. You can and should have the courage to ask for advice, because without help you might end up lost. Sometimes it might be difficult to admit unawareness to yourself, but anything can be learned if you just try hard enough.
Author: Maaria Tuisku, MA, Bachelor of Culture and Arts, University intern, The University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute
Photo: Minna Kilpeläinen
In Kerttu Saalasti Institute's blog we write about the topics of the Institute's research groups, micro entrepreneurship education and the Institute's general topics. The authors are researchers, experts and members of networks.
Our topics are: micro entrenepreneurship, future manufacturing technologies, regional excellence, micro entrepreneurship education