At its meeting on September 25, 2024, the Council of Representatives of the Student Union of the University of Lapland (LYY) selected its candidates for the Board of the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) for 2025. LYY nominates Roope Rantala for the position of Chair of the Board and Heini Naukkarinen for the position of Board Member.

Roope Rantala, 22, is a 3rd-year law student and has served as the Chair of the LYY Board this year. In 2023, Rantala was a member of the LYY Board responsible for educational policy. He also serves as a City Councillor in Ulvila and is a member of the city’s Education Committee.

Heini Naukkarinen, 23, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education and has served as a member of the LYY Board this year, with responsibilities in social policy, tutoring, and member services. Naukkarinen has gained additional experience in advocacy and organizational work as the advocacy representative for a subject association and as a member of the National Youth Committee of the Finnish Red Cross.

Roope Rantala and Heini Naukkarinen

According to LYY’s Secretary General Esa-Pekka Tuppi, it is important that the voices of students at the University of Lapland are heard on a national level as well. Tuppi believes that both of LYY’s candidates are excellent choices for the SYL Board.

“We need northern perspectives in SYL, and it’s great that the Student Union of the University of Lapland once again has two candidates for the SYL Board, one of whom is running for Chair. Rantala would bring a cooperative and solution-oriented leader to SYL, and Naukkarinen would be a social team player with extensive advocacy experience for the SYL Board. On behalf of the entire student union, I wish both of them the best of luck with their campaigns!” says Secretary General Tuppi.

The SYL Board will be elected at the General Assembly on November 15-16, 2024. SYL is a national student organization representing over 140,000 students in Finland. SYL’s main areas of influence are education and social policy issues affecting university students, as well as international activities. The Student Union of the University of Lapland will be represented at the General Assembly by a five-member delegation.

For more information:

Esa-Pekka Tuppi
Secretary General
yhteiso(at)lyy.fi
+358 45 138 4192

Roope Rantala
Chair of the Board
puheenjohtaja(at)lyy.fi
+358 45 137 9026

Heini Naukkarinen
Member of The Board
heini.naukkarinen(at)lyy.fi
+358 44 293 1007