SAMK Orientation week: Where cultures meet

Last week, SAMK welcomed new students with Bring Your Own Culture festival. The event was part of SAMK Pori Campus orientation week.

Last week, SAMK welcomed new students with the Bring Your Own Culture festival as part of the orientation week at SAMK’s Pori Campus.
Last week, SAMK welcomed new students with the Bring Your Own Culture festival as part of the orientation week at SAMK’s Pori Campus.

In the morning, the students showcased their backgrounds and got introduced to diverse cultures from all around the world. Attendees were encouraged to wear their traditional attire and share about their heritage.

In the afternoon of the same day, students had the chance to network with organisations and services of Pori city. Students could connect with the community they were interested in and learn about the services that might be helpful to them.

Meet the students

Let’s hear from the new students sharing their exciting experiences during the orientation week.

Bayarmaa Uuganbayar is a young student from Mongolia. She is going to study Robotics.

Bayarmaa Uuganbayar in her traditional attire.
Bayarmaa Uuganbayar in her traditional attire.

Her first impression of Pori city was the peacefulness, safety and scenic nature. Since arriving in Pori, she had been enjoying walking around and explore her new city. During the orientation week, she mentioned that it could be lonely for her since she was the only Mongolian student, but she got to make new friends from many different nationalities, which was an interesting experience for her. She also found the senior students and SAMK tutors to be friendly, making her feel welcome in the new environment.

“People are really friendly, especially the staff.”

Sarani is a student from Sri Lanka. She is going to study Nursing.

Sarani shared excitement about her upcoming journey.
Sarani shared excitement about her upcoming journey.

Before arriving in Finland, Sarani was an English teacher in her home country, so this was a significant change for her to come and study at SAMK. Initially, Sarani was nervous since she was in a new environment, but gradually, she felt more comfortable thanks to the helpful staff and tutors, and the welcoming atmosphere at SAMK. The best part of the orientation week, in Sarani’s opinion, were the fun games they took part in to learn about Finnish history and culture.

“Senior students and tutors are really kind. When I asked them something, they guided me well.”

Francis is a student from Nigeria, he is going to study Artificial Intelligence (Data Engineering).

Francis during the culture event.
Francis during the culture event.

Like many other students, Francis felt nervous at first coming to a new country. However, the orientation week’s activities helped him navigate his new city, as well as learn more about Finnish culture. Francis’s favourite event of the week was the cultural festival, where he met new friends from diverse backgrounds and presented his own culture.

“The orientation played a crucial role in making me feel at home.”

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SAMK Pori Campus orientation week

During SAMK Pori Campus orientation week, students were assisted to settle in, provided with useful information about the university and city, and helped with other issues.

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