The Representative Council of the Student Union Kaakko convened on Thursday, November 27, 2025. During the meeting, the members of the 2026 Representative Council were confirmed, and the presidium of the council as well as the board members for the upcoming year were elected.

Nelli Kortelainen, a hospitality management student from Kotka, was elected as President of the Representative Council. Emmi Syrjä, a community educator student from Mikkeli, was elected as Vice President.

I would like to thank the council and our members for their trust! In the coming year, it’s time to focus on the things the Student Union already has and refine them. We will build the year together with the board and local associations. – Nelli Kortelainen

Members of the Representative Council:

Johanna Jokinen (Kotkan Opiskelijat)
Katriina Janhunen (Kaakon Vihreät)
Anni Miettinen (Mikkelin Pamaus)
Niina Mäkelä (Kotkan Opiskelijat)
Taneli Arosara (Kaakon Vihreät)
Lilli Peltonen (Kotkan Opiskelijat)
Jussi Kukkurainen (Kouvolasta Kaakkoon)
Tiina Kannasvuo (Independent)
Janina Laakso (Independent)
Ville-Pekka Häkkinen (Mikkelin Pamaus)
Alphonsus Ehiabhi (Independent)
Miina Kunnasto (Independent)
Mikael Viik (Mikkelin Pamaus)
Julia Takialainen (Independent)
Sagar Kafle (Independent)

Board 2026

The council also elected the board members for 2026 during the meeting. Niko Heikkilä (Bachelor of Engineering, Developing Food Technology) from the Kouvola campus was elected as President of the Board.

The Vice Presidents of the Board are:

• Mahmudul Ruju (Bachelor of Engineering, Information Technology), Mikkeli campus
• Taneli Mäkinen (Bachelor of Community Education), Mikkeli campus
• Teemu Taivainen (Bachelor of Business Administration, Security), Savonlinna campus

The order of the Vice Presidents will be decided in the board’s organizational meeting.

Board members elected:

• Channa Perera (Bachelor of Engineering, Information Technology), Mikkeli
• Matias Päivä (Bachelor of Business Administration, Public Administration and Law), Kouvola
• Sehrish Aziz (Bachelor of Business Administration, Digital International Business), Kouvola
• Muqadas Fatima (Bachelor of Health Care, Nursing), Savonlinna

The Representative Council and the Board will begin their duties on January 1, 2026, and their term will last until December 31, 2026.

More information:

Laura Laakso
President of the Board 2025
laura.laakso@opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi
+358 44 4910 616

Nelli Kortelainen
President of the Representative Council 2026
eneko007@edu.xamk.fi

Niko Heikkilä
President of the Board 2026
dnihe001@edu.xamk.fi

Sauli Sarjus
Executive Director
sauli.sarjus@opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi
+358 50 592 7482

The constitutive meeting of the Representative Council for the year 2026 will be held on Thursday, November 27, 2025, starting at 4:00 PM. The meeting can be attended remotely via Teams. All members of the Kaakko Student Union are welcome to participate.
At the constitutive meeting of the Representative Council:

• The composition of the Representative Council will be confirmed
• A chairperson, vice-chairperson  will be elected from among the council members
• The chairperson and vice-chairpersons of the Student Union Board will be elected
• The Student Union Board will be elected

The meeting agenda can be found HERE.
You can join the constitutive meeting HERE.

More information:

Veikko Kotajärvi
veikko.kotajarvi@opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi
President of the Representative Council 2025

Sauli Sarjus
sauli.sarjus@opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi
Executive Director

The Representative Council elected new board members in its meeting on May 22. The board reorganized itself in a meeting held on June 3, during which the division of responsibilities among members was also confirmed. The newly composed board includes two new members with the following responsibilities:

• Yasin Uras: Advocacy and Communications
• Taneli Mäkinen: Events and Communications

In addition, the responsibilities of 2nd Vice President Terppa Kuismin have been updated to better align with the board’s renewed direction.

The board is now organized as follows:

• President of the Board: Laura Laakso
• 1st Vice President, Advocacy: Taneli Arosara
• 2nd Vice President, Services and Events: Terppa Kuismin
• Sagar Kafle: Services and Events
• Terhi Mäkinen: Services and Events, Communications
• Chanpreet Kaur: Advocacy
• Matias Päivä: Advocacy, Communications
• Yasin Uras: Advocacy, Communications
• Taneli Mäkinen: Services and Events, Communications.

The search for the 3rd Vice President will continue in the autumn, with the goal of filling the position as soon as possible to support the board’s work.

Representative Council 2025

The Student Union Representative Council of Student Union Kaakko convened for its organizational meeting on Thursday, November 28, 2024. During the meeting, the members of the Representative Council for 2025 were confirmed, and the Council’s Chairpersons and Board members for the upcoming year were elected.

Veikko Kotajärvi, a marine captaincy student from Kotka, was elected as the President of the Representative Council. Rubert Wonnenberg, a forestry engineering student from Mikkeli, was elected as the Vice-President.

Members of the Representative Council:

• Oona Yhtiö (Mikkelin pamaus)
• Anni Miettinen (Mikkelin pamaus)
• Ville Huuskonen (Mikkelin pamaus)
• Taneli Mäkinen (Mikkelin pamaus)
• Julia Laakso (Mikkelin pamaus)
• Chairperson Veikko Kotajärvi (Kotkan Opiskelijat)
• Niina Mäkelä (Kotkan Opiskelijat)
• Tanja Järnstedt (Kotkan Opiskelijat)
• Nelli-Noora Kortelainen (Kotkan Opiskelijat)
• Hien Tran (Kotkan Opiskelijat)
• Jami Ojala (Kaakon Punavihreät)
• Lassi Hakonen (Kaakon Punavihreät)
• Topi Sievänen (Mikkelin Insinöörien Vaaliliitto)
• Sofia Nokia (Mikkelin Insinöörien Vaaliliitto)
• Sean Nieminen (Mikkelin Insinöörien Vaaliliitto)
• Anne Alinen (Mikkelin Insinöörien Vaaliliitto)
• Veijo Tikka (Oikeisto-opiskelijat)
• Mette Nyman (Independent)
• Juuso Saltiola (Independent)

Among the Representative Council members, 11 study in Mikkeli, 6 in Kotka, and 3 in Kouvola.

Deputy Members of the Representative Council:

• Joona Räty (Oikeisto-opiskelijat)
• Prashanta Gautam (Independent)
• Jaakko Korhonen (Independent)
• Elio Havisalmi (Independent)
• Ville-Pekka Häkkinen (Independent)

Among the deputy members, two study in Kouvola, one in Kotka, one in Mikkeli, and one in Savonlinna.

Board 2025

In its meeting, the Representative Council also elected the members of the Board for 2025. Laura Laakso, a paramedic student from Kotka, was elected as the President of the Board.

The elected Vice-Presidents of the Board are Taneli Arosara, a community educator student from Mikkeli, Kia Keränen, a physiotherapy student from Savonlinna, and Terppa Kuismin, a community educator student from Mikkeli.

The elected members of the Board are Jasmin Salmi, a social services student (Mikkeli), Jenni Roppo, a community educator student (Mikkeli), Terhi Mäkinen, a physiotherapy student (Savonlinna), Matias Päivä, BBA student (Kouvola), Chanpreet Kaur,  security management BBA student (Savonlinna), and Sagar Kafle, an information technology engineering student (Mikkeli).

The Representative Council and the Board will assume their duties on January 1, 2025, and their term will last until December 31, 2025.

For more information:
Veikko Kotajärvi
Chairperson of the Representative Council 2025
dveko005@edu.xamk.fi

Laura Laakso
Chairperson of the Board 2025
laura.laakso@opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi

Sauli Sarjus
Executive Director
sauli.sarjus@opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi
+358 50 592 7482

Representative Council 2024

Esa Hämäläinen for the position of the Representative Council Chair, and Nelli-Noora Kortelainen for the position of the Board Chair for the year 2024!

The Student Union of Xamk organized its Representative Council meeting on Thursday, November 30, 2023. During the meeting, the members of the Representative Council for the year 2024 were confirmed, and the chairpersons of the Representative Council and the members of the Board were elected for the upcoming year.

Esa Hämäläinen, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Security Management student from Savonlinna, was elected as the Chair of the Representative Council. The Vice Chair of the Representative Council was elected as Heta Puro, a game programming engineering student from Kotka.

“I am immensely grateful for the trust placed in me, especially for the opportunity to be the first person from Savonlinna in this position. In the coming year, I want to focus on making Kaakko visible and heard in all four Xamk campuses,” commented the newly elected Chair of the Representative Council, Esa Hämäläinen.

Other members of the Representative Council for the year include Eerika Laitinen, Katja Ääpälä, Janne Otava, Tanja Järnstedt, Iida Kilpirova, Suvi Silvala, Lauri Pasonen, John Enarvi, Lassi Hakonen, Terppa Kuismin, Ella Räty, Jihan Azzan, Kati Kananen, Genesis Medina Zamalloa, Martti Tyrväinen, Jesse Rinneranta, Veijo Tikka, and Sean Nieminen. Nine of the Representative Council members study in Kotka, four in Kouvola, six in Mikkeli, and one in Savonlinna.

Deputy members of the Representative Council include Adenike Oyedele, Tapio Hakola, Niina Mäkelä, Jussi Kukkurainen, Sini Hyvärinen, Ilona Soininen, Emmi Matinheikki, Annika Ojala, Taneli Mäkinen, Julia Laakso, Oskari Lausala, Jimi Andersson, Hien Tran, Antti-Pekka Multanen, Aye Chan Pyae, Henrik Haaja, and Lasse Lampen. Four of the deputy members study in Kotka, three in Kouvola, nine in Mikkeli, and one in Savonlinna.

Board 2024

The Representative Council also elected the members of the Board for the year 2024 during the meeting. Nelli-Noora Kortelainen, a tourism student from Kotka, was elected as the Chair of the Board.

The Vice Chairs of the Board were elected as Laura Laakso, an emergency care student from Kotka, Anne Halinen, a bachelor of engineering student from Mikkeli, and Mira Kuutschin, a sports instructor student from Savonlinna.

Additionally, the Board members were elected as Taneli Arosara, a community education student from Mikkeli, Jasmin Salmi and Oona Yhtiö, both social work students from Mikkeli, Aurora Garcia, a restoration student from Kouvola, Joona Räty, a Digital International Business student from Kouvola, and Antti Nyrkkö, a logistics student from Kotka.

“I am looking forward to the upcoming year, as we have a fantastic new board in place. The goal for the coming year is to strengthen collaboration with the board, the representative council, student associations, and the campus cities,” said the Chair of the Board, Nelli-Noora Kortelainen.

The Representative Council and the Board will begin their duties on January 1, 2024, and the term will last until December 31, 2024

For more information:

Esa Hämäläinen
Chair of the Representative Council 2024
eesha001@edu.xamk.fi
040 084 6634

Nelli-Noora Kortelainen
Chair of the Board 2024
nelli-noora.kortelainen@opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi
044 210 5100

Jenni Aikio
Executive Director
jenni.aikio@opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi
044 702 8591

Apply for Student Representative Positions

Students play a crucial role in influencing matters at the university of applied sciences. Opinions have more impact at decision-making tables than in the hallways of the campuses. In Xamk’s decision-making, students are represented by student representatives. As a student representative, you have the opportunity to influence where decisions are made.

Student representatives are students at the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences and full-fledged members of their respective bodies. They attend meetings and express the opinions of students on matters discussed.

Student representatives ensure that the voice of students is heard on issues concerning them. Anyone can become a student representative – including you!

Available Positions

This fall, we are seeking student representatives for the following positions:

1. Educational Steering Group
   • 1 member
   • 1 vice-member
   • Term: 2024 (1 year)
2. RDI Steering Group
   • 1 member
   • 1 vice-member
   • Term: 2024 (1 year)

Application Period

The application period opened on November 13, 2023, and closes on November 28, 2023. Decisions on the appointments will be made during the Representative Council meeting on November 30, 2023.

Apply

Apply to be a student representative HERE

Eligibility Requirements

• Eligible to run for election are all students enrolled in degree programs at the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences and those who have registered as attending. The positions require sufficient proficiency in the Finnish language.
• A student representative must be eligible for election throughout their term, and individuals known to lose their eligibility during their term should not be consciously selected for the position.
• Persons employed full-time in a professional capacity at the university of applied sciences are not eligible to become student representatives.
• The application is submitted using an electronic Webropol form. The application must be completed within the application period.

About the Recruitment and Selection of Student Representatives

The recruitment and selection of student representatives for the university of applied sciences’ administration in Kaakko are specifically regulated in the guidelines for the selection of student representatives. (only in Finnish)

For more information about the positions:

Emmi Matinheikki
President of the Board
Student Union Kaakko
emmi.matinheikki(a)opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi
044 540 4547

Jenni Aikio
Executive Director
Student Union Kaakko
jenni.aikio(a)opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi
044 702 8591

Do you want to make an impact at Xamk? Are you interested in student union activities? Do you want make changes? The Student Union Kaakko is seeking members for the board for the year 2024!

The responsibility of the student union board is to collaborate with the union’s staff in advancing the interests and well-being of Xamk students. Board members represent students in various teams and working groups at the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences and bring the student perspective into Xamk’s decision-making. Joining the board gives you the opportunity to make Xamk an even better place to study, connect with new people, and gain valuable experience in advocacy and representation work, highly valued in the professional world.

Requirements for joining the board include membership in the Student Union Kaakko (i.e., a valid student card), an open mind, and a commitment to the activities for the entire year. Previous experience in organizations or advocacy is not necessary but can be beneficial.

We offer you the chance to learn new skills and develop yourself in a supportive team. Additionally, you have the opportunity to build national networks for the future.

Compensation for the work is as follows:

– Board Chairperson: €850/month for 12 months.
– Board Vice-Chairperson: €400/month for 10 months.
– Board Member: €200/month for 10 months.
– Annual fee for the Chairperson of the Representative Council: €600.
– Annual fee for the Vice-Chairperson of the Representative Council: €350.

In addition, you can earn study credits and receive an official work certificate.

NOTE! The amount of the paid fees may change based on the decision of the representative council meeting.

The application period for the Student Union Kaakko’s board starts on November 13, 2023, and ends on November 30, 2023, during the organizational meeting of the representative council where the new board will be elected. Those applying for the board should ideally participate in this meeting either remotely or at their own campus. If you want to participate in the meeting on campus, please register for the meeting HERE.

Those selected for the board will be introduced to the activities before the start of the term, and the orientation will take place on December 8-10, 2023. The board’s term is for a calendar year, and those selected for the board should commit to the activities for the entire year.

Apply for the board from HERE.

For more information:

Emmi Matinheikki
Chairperson of the Board
Phone: 044 540 4547
Email: emmi.matinheikki@opiskelijakuntakaakko.fi