Onerva Vartiainen's class that started their studies at the former School of Economics in the Olympic year 1952 is currently the oldest class of the School of Business that still meets regularly! In addition to the class being active, Vartiainen herself has also actively participated in the alumni activities of the School of Business.
Vartiainen tells that when alumni activities officially began at the former Helsinki School of Economics in 1994, someone from the School came to their class reunion to inform them about the activities. ‘I have always been very interested in what is happening in business, which is why I have wanted to actively participate in the events organised by the School.’
This year, Vartiainen has participated in all three major alumni events: the School of Business Homecoming Day in January, the Jaakko Honko event in August, and most recently the Aalto University Alumni Weekend in October.
The class reunions began right after their studies concluded. 'The host of our course, Pekka Korpinen, who had also served as KY's host, organized an end-of-studies evening in KY's premises. Most of us ended our studies with a degree in economics. Pekka suggested that we should meet every five years," Vartiainen recalls.
However, the acquisition of address information was left undiscussed. 'When the first reunion was coming up in spring 1960, organizing committee member Raili Laitinen had to go to the main post office building because it had all of Finland's phone directories. If the word 'economist' appeared next to a name and the name was also in KY's calendar, Raili marked the information on the address list. Our invitation letter also requested recipients to spread the invitation to fellow students.'
That evening in spring 1960 at KY's premises was cheerful. The class agreed to meet again in five years, and this continued for a long time. In 2006, Vartiainen suggested that the class should meet annually from then on, always on the first Monday of March at 13:00 at the old School of Business premises in Töölö, in restaurant Proffa. The proposal was reportedly accepted by acclamation.
When the Töölö building was under renovation and new premises in Otaniemi were completed, the class met once in Otaniemi, at Ekonominaukio just a few days before the COVID-19 lockdown, on March 2, 2020. After this, the class gathered again in Töölö, a few times in the current restaurant Töölö, and most recently in restaurant Elite last spring. In their last reunion, there were a total of 9 alumni present. They intend to continue meeting, despite all of them being a respectable age of over 90 years. ‘I promised to arrange at least one more gathering, next spring 2026,’ Vartiainen says.
Vartiainen says she received a good toolkit for life from the School of Business and fondly remembers especially her own internship in Stuttgart, Germany, in the summer of 1953. ‘Many of our class were present in the large lecture hall at the beginning of the spring semester in 1953, where the student union shared us the information on the opportunity to apply for a summer internship abroad, as long as one secured a reciprocal place in Finland.’ Through AIESEC, the international association of students in commerce and economics, one could apply for an international internship, and Vartiainen explains that many of their classmates took advantage of this opportunity during their studies.
Vartiainen feels she gained a lot from the time spent abroad and believes it greatly benefited her classmates as well. ‘That's why I've wanted to support the current students' international exchange.’ AIESEC is still active, but instead, Aalto University School of Business has focused more on bilateral agreements with foreign universities, where the School of Business students can apply for an exchange and from which students come for an exchange ÄûÃʵ¼º½ University.
‘There are many talented young people who don't have the financial means to go abroad for exchange studies, so it is important to support them. It was easier for us at the time. During our last class reunion, I also encouraged other classmates to support the School of Business's international student exchange. I plan to renew my request again next spring when we meet again,’ says Onerva Vartiainen.
Onerva Vartiainen was interviewed by School of Business Alumni Relations Manager Emilia Nevalainen.
At the School of Business, we encourage all students to acquire valuable international experience during their studies by providing a grant to every student going on exchange abroad. By donating, you help our students gain important global competence, which is crucial for Finland’s competitiveness.
The class of 1952 met at the Ekonomiaukio building on the first Monday of March.
In the alumni class reunions you have the opportunity to meet your classmates after the graduation.
