Dear new bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral graduates,
Honoured guests,
It is a great pleasure to celebrate new graduates on this day.
Dear graduates, you are graduating into a world of change, and during the past few years of study have born witness to enormous upheavals: a pandemic that resulted in lockdowns, an energy crisis that is putting consumption habits to the test, and a war that has upset our sense of security.
Artificial intelligence encroaching on everyday life belongs to this series of upheavals. Some praise its potential with superlatives, others emphasise the threats it brings. High-performance quantum computers, which complete in seconds calculations that previously took weeks, represent unforeseen tsunamis of technological change. Their power will change work and societies.
All of these changes originate in technology or the forces of nature. But we humanities scholars are at the centre of such developments too, even if we do not build machines, develop vaccines or analyse climate change.
Education in our fields, be it in languages, cultures, arts or history, has taught us to explore the meaning of things. And life is about meanings: during the Covid pandemic, we contemplated how face-to-face communication differs from remote communication, what rights individuals have and which of them can be abandoned for the common good, how one-to-one dialogue differs from text written for the masses, how national identities are formed and what significance language has in understanding historical changes. You have the ability to consider what today looks like in the long continuum of history: the pandemic in this decade compared with the Spanish flu a hundred years earlier or the Black Death before that. How have communication technologies – letter, telephone, email and social media – transformed distances and our sense of time? How have people, organisations and societies lived, faced crises, recovered and renewed themselves? What meanings and interpretations do we assign to the trends in literacy, increasing multilingualism, and the growing emphasis on the economy and militarisation in our time? We particularly need specialists in the humanities to ask what phenomena mean, to pursue the meanings people have given to things at different times.
The University is not here to teach you off-the-shelf knowledge and formulas for interpretation. Of course, you have gained knowledge that is valid right now, but you will come across altogether new circumstances in your careers. According to estimates, the duration of those careers is approximately 80,000 hours. During that time, you will have to learn more and take action in situations you cannot even imagine today.
Just a few years ago, no one in our generation could have imagined that we would have to face a pandemic or that artificial intelligence and language models would become an integral part of everyday life. We, many of your teachers, studied at a time when there were no smartphones, internet or social media. We have had to continuously update our knowledge and notions of the world. You will experience a tremendous amount of change and turmoil during your own careers. One of the goals of your studies is to inspire the enthusiasm and ability to acquire new knowledge and rely on new research. You will also forget a lot about what you have learned: years, theories, concepts, definitions, categories...
With 50 disciplines in our Faculty, you have familiarised yourself with knowledge, source criticism and learning by studying in a range of fields. Our Faculty is responsible for generating understanding in a range of fields, from classical studies and archaeology to language technology, modern literature and the study of arts and cultures.
Our humanities degrees do not qualify you for any specific professions, with the work of teachers and translators as the only exceptions with clear qualification criteria. Every fourth humanities graduate ends up in the teaching profession – which is great, since it is on the shoulders of schools and good teachers that this country has risen to the prosperity and wisdom we now enjoy. This demonstrates the importance of universities: we maintain the vital functions of society by ensuring that fresh specialists well versed in research knowledge arrive in schools, libraries, public administration, embassies and the cultural sector.
Studying is more than just adopting the learning outcomes of the degree programme. It is a time for establishing new friendships that may last a lifetime. There may be changes, even upheavals, in one’s personal circumstances as new situations arise. It is the time also to learn about the traditions of the University and academia: drinking songs, discipline-specific practices as well as the channels of influence of subject-specific organisations and student politics. The many student organisations and nations are supplemented by a multitude of recreational organisations for the University community. I hope they have given you experiences that inspire you personally. Of the University’s special features, remember that here things are handled under a tripartite system of administrative power: professors, other staff and students are equally represented in all decision-making. You are unlikely to find such an equal and democratic approach at all workplaces. Lifelong friendships are important, but so are lifelong acquaintances: it is a pleasure to remember that the student beside you at a course or a friend from your student nation is now working at a translation agency or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Could I ask them to speak at our meeting, or would they be able to give tips on this or that?
What about jobs? Humanities graduates find employment. This has been demonstrated by scores of master’s and doctoral graduates once they have left the Faculty. While there may not be jobs available in your specific fields, the statistics of our Career Services have positive things to say about the professional paths of humanities graduates: they find their way as teachers, communication specialists, experts, administrators, cultural specialists, museum professionals and diplomats. In 2030, you will receive a career tracking survey: where are you and what are you doing? Please respond to the survey, as it will help future graduates.
Now that you are graduating, you can leave the University with a spring in your step. Keep in mind that the University does not wish to leave you. You are welcome at alumni events, both at the University as a whole and in your fields. You can spend time at Think Corner, visit the libraries, attend Studia Generalia lectures and join book clubs. You can join the alumni community free of charge. It is Finland’s largest expert community. The details are available on the University website.
Finally, I return to AI. Perhaps we should not focus on artificial intelligence and its wonders. Instead, let’s ask what value humans add to this world. What is unique to human beings and outside the capacity of machines and forces of nature?
If Zachris Topelius, who was the rector of the University in the 1870s, could have asked AI how to improve local conditions, AI could not have come up with the ideas that Finland should become independent, that women should have the right to vote and that an equal comprehensive school would be better than two parallel school systems. Thanks to its algorithms, artificial intelligence is able to churn out endless variations of the new ideas humans offer it. But only individuals and humanity can determine what is important or more important than the rest.
This is where you are needed: to understand, to interpret, to give meaning and value to thoughts, to create something new. Don’t hesitate to take your place in the world! Since most of the 80,000 hours of work in my life are behind me, I shall be so bold as to conclude with three pieces of advice:
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Be for something. Advocate for things that matter to you. This way, you will achieve more than by resisting and criticising.
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Be critical. When criticising other people’s ideas, remember that our own ways of thinking too are in need of fresh air and rethinking.
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Look both near and far. Life is about chasing dreams, pursuing future happiness, but it is also about daily occurrences and encounters. If you focus on a distant dream, you will miss what is close to you and what you should seize right now. If you only look close, you may not see the forest for the trees. In other words, pursue your dreams by progressing towards them day by day.
I wish everyone a very happy graduation day!
ALUMNUS SPEECH
Master of Arts Eveliina Halkomäki
Dear graduates and guests,
It is a great honour to be here today – not merely as a speaker, but as someone who has stood where you stand now. I vividly recall the joy, pride and sense of accomplishment I felt on my own graduation day – a feeling that’s stayed with me ever since. Graduating from the Faculty of Arts is a real privilege.
Yet, I remember thinking at the time: what now? Where do I go from here? Perhaps some of you are asking yourselves the very same questions today. The road ahead can feel both full of promise and a little uncertain. These thoughts are entirely normal. They don’t mean you’re unprepared – they simply mean you’re heading into the unknown. And that’s where the real beauty lies.
I completed my Master of Arts in history in 2023. Somewhat by coincidence, I found myself – while still studying – working in central government at Valvira, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health, and later at Tukija, the National Committee on Medical Research Ethics. There I was: a humanities graduate dealing with the ethics of clinical medical research and later delving further into research ethics. Who’d have thought?
Though my career path is just one of many, it illustrates an important point: a humanities education doesn’t narrow but broadens your options. It doesn’t restrict you but helps you make sense of the world, society and people in all their complexity.
Back when I was a student, I was often asked what I’d do after graduating. You’ve probably heard the same questions: “Are you going to be a teacher? A researcher? Or will you study something else?”
With time I’ve learnt that we don’t need to define ourselves with just one job title or career path. Still, if you feel the need to define yourself, do so by your skills. We are able to question, listen and interpret – these are incredibly valuable skills in our time. In the workplace, I often find myself in situations that require an understanding of history, language, culture and meaning as well as how these affect people. In those moments, it’s not enough to know a specific subject if you can’t read between the lines. And yes, it’s true – sometimes it feels like there’s no obvious place for a humanities graduate. But that’s exactly when you have the chance to carve one out for yourself.
The future and uncertainty go hand in hand. I don’t think any of us – or at least not many – have ended up exactly where we imagined before or at the beginning of our studies. The path isn’t always straight. But one thing is certain: we, as humanities graduates, are well equipped to navigate it.
We’re analytical, critical, creative and strong communicators. We know how to lead – both ourselves and others. We’re not afraid to think differently, and we notice patterns in society that others overlook.
And yes, it’s perfectly natural to doubt yourself from time to time – it’s part of being human. But don’t give that doubt too much power. Believe in yourselves and in the future.
So, what do you dare to hope for from the future? In my experience, it’s worth pursuing what genuinely interests you, even if it doesn’t lead to a clear job title or career path straight away. Take the opportunities that come your way, even if they don’t seem especially appealing at first. It’s often those unexpected chances that open up entirely new paths and teach you things you’d otherwise never have learnt. Leave room for chance too. The key thing to remember is that no choice is ever truly final. Among the great strengths of humanities graduates is our ability to move, change and keep learning.
To conclude, I’d like to share a thought that comes to mind now and then, especially in uncertain times. In his final interview with the Helsingin Sanomat daily in 2013, the late President of the Republic of Finland Mauno Koivisto said:
“Usually in life, it’s wise to trust that things will turn out fine. It’s often worth doing so even if you don’t quite believe it yourself. Time and again we’ve seen that threats start to take shape precisely because people begin to prepare for them.”
It’s a reminder that too much caution or doubt – whether directed at ourselves or others – can stop us from recognising the opportunities unfolding in front of us. Often, the courage to see those opportunities, even when the future feels uncertain, is the first step towards something truly meaningful. We have the skills to make a difference. We should use our voices. And we have an education that doesn’t confine us, but empowers us to do almost anything.
Dear graduates, today is a day of celebration. Today, you have every reason to be proud of what you’ve achieved – no matter what you’ve decided to do next. Don’t feel pressured to rush into answering the question, “What’s next?” Let it unfold in its own time. Enjoy life. Do the things that bring you joy and support one another along the way. Trust that you already have what it takes.
I wish you all the very best – in luck, wisdom and courage. And remember: things usually turn out well – especially when you have the courage to believe they will.
Thank you and congratulations!
