Jotham Berhanu and Thomas Joutsikoski to receive the Scholarship for the Future

The scholarship recipients are law student Jotham Berhanu and business student Thomas Joutsikoski. In this article, we introduce these recipients and the issues important to them in more detail.

Jotham Berhanu: ‘The idea of equal opportunities drives me forward’

Law and business student Jotham Berhanu has been working to make a difference since he was young.

When he was 17 years old, Jotham worked as a youth volunteer of the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion, teaching other young people how to invest and manage their finances. During the project, Jotham noticed that many young people, particularly those from multi-ethnic families, were worried about their future and finances. This made him want to reduce financial inequality and work in the long term for a more equal future.

Jotham encountered financial inequality again when applying to university. He attended a course by Varjovalmennus, an association that offers free training for entrance exams to those who are generally unable to take paid courses. Jotham got accepted to the Faculty of Law on his first try. ‘After that I felt that it was my duty to offer the same opportunity to other applicants as well,’ Jotham explains. ‘The idea of equal opportunities drives me forward and is the main reason why I have been contributing to the work of Varjovalmennus for over two years now.’ Many people have felt the impact of Jotham’s voluntary work, and he received as many as 29 references for the scholarship.

Jotham has worked on the Board of the association as the communications manager and later as the chair of the Board. First and foremost, he is motivated by offering equal opportunities to higher education applicants who come from different backgrounds.

‘I intend to continue working on making a difference as long as possible – I feel that it is a calling and that I need to pursue it even if the circumstances change, for example in my private life. While I will continue working with Varjovalmennus, I am going to take my efforts to an international level by acting as a coach for the Vis Moot team of the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. After that my plans are still open. Let’s see what the future brings. Thank you once more to everyone at Castrén & Snellman for this meaningful acknowledgement, it means a lot!’

Thomas Joutsikoski: ‘I try and channel my entrepreneurial spirit towards protecting our planet and engaging others to do so as well’

The other scholarship recipient is Thomas Joutsikoski, a half-Finnish and half-British MSc student of Sustainable Business Management at Tampere University.

Thomas thinks it is an incredible opportunity to be part of solving the biggest problem we have faced yet – climate change. This perspective is what fuels his passion and work to make the world a more sustainable place, whether it is within his university classroom, his documentaries, his workplace, or just in daily life. Thomas has spent a lot of time reflecting on his skills, character, and ambitions in order to channel his impact where he thinks he can have the largest effect.

‘I previously studied International Relations and have worked in Switzerland and Kenya, but then I realised my personal impact could perhaps be best maximised by helping businesses become more sustainable.’ Alongside his studies at Tampere University, Thomas has worked as a sustainability analyst for a startup that helps companies engage with and act upon their sustainability.

The main project Thomas has going on alongside his studies and work is making documentaries to promote engagement and action on sustainability. ‘When it comes to climate change, I describe myself as a pragmatic optimist.’

Thomas is a co-founder of a production company that makes documentaries showcasing uplifting stories of climate warriors from coastal communities around the world. ‘This is a global problem, but local solutions are also vital. We have funded and run the series out of sheer passion, this Scholarship for the Future will help me keep telling important stories of climate hope and action to ever wider audiences,’ he says.

Thomas plans to launch Tampere’s own WEF Global Shapers hub. This would be a platform to boost collaboration and action within the region. The hub would seek to connect young people from the private, public and academic sectors to come together and promote positive social and environmental change in Tampere.

Thomas was also chosen as one of 200 Nordic talents to go to Greenland and ideate with locals to create solutions to climate issues as part of the UNLEASH innovation lab.

‘In the face of climate change it can often feel like an uphill battle, sometimes like taking one step forwards and two steps backward. The little wins are what keep us motivated and move us forwards. I am so grateful to have been selected for this scholarship as it is a boost that will help me take extra steps forwards in some of my ideas and initiatives… hopefully without too many steps back along the way!’

Thank you, Jotham and Thomas, for all your efforts to make this world a better place!