Interviewing Sub's President(s)
BTSB is first and foremost a student magazine. We’re a club formed by English students at the University of Helsinki, and we have had a long-standing tradition of interviewing the newly elected president of our student organisation, Sub. We did not do that last year, but we wanted to bring these interviews back after a while. To compensate for missing last year’s interview, we decided to do a joint chat with both Sub’s current president, Luukas, and previous president, Janita.
Hello to you both! Please tell us a little bit about yourselves.
Janita: Hello! My name is Janita (she/her). I am a fifth-year English student and about to wrap up my studies this spring. I am of course a Subber and I was also the organization’s president in 2024.
Luukas: I'm Luukas (he/him), known to some as Luke. I'm a third-year English student who hopes to complete their bachelor’s this spring along with president duties so I don't have many boring moments these days. Even so, I try to spend the time I have left at the gym, bouldering, doing crosswords and spotting seagulls.
Oh nice! Best of luck to you both then. Could you tell us a bit more about your history with Sub? Did you have any prior experience from student organisations?
J: I started my studies in 2020, but due to Covid we barely had any events for the first two years. In 2022 the situation finally got better and I began to attend every possible Sub event. I quickly fell in love with the organization and its people and ended up joining the board in 2023. This was my first time as a part of any student organization or board. During my first year I was a part of the events team and the next year I applied for presidency.
L: I've been a tutor for a few years, and active in Sub's board previously doing Social Media, Sports & Rec, and Webmaster stuff.
What inspired you to apply for the presidency after that?
L: The prestige of the title of course. But it was mostly people around me encouraging me to the task and wanting to challenge myself with interesting responsibilities.
J: I have always been someone who enjoys responsibility, but for the most part it was the encouragement of my fellow Subbers and friends outside of university that got me to apply for the position.
Oh that’s sweet, encouragement goes a long way. Well, congratulations to Luukas for being elected as Sub’s president for the year 2025! How are you feeling?
L: Thank you! I’m feeling great. We hit the ground running setting everything up for the new board, and the beginning of the year is the busiest and most hectic for me. Most is already done, some things still left to do but everything is going great.
And likewise congratulations to Janita on a successful run as Sub’s president in 2024! Now that it’s over, how do you feel about it?
J: Well thank you! My response in short is that it was a lot. I have mixed feelings about the year as it was very stressful but also something I enjoyed. At times the work felt a bit too much, but that’s also affected by everything else I was doing outside the organization stuff. In the end I’m glad I did it as I probably would’ve regretted not applying later. More than anything, I’m honoured that people trusted me with the job.
You certainly earned that trust. To bounce off of that, Luukas, what kinds of goals have you set for Sub this year?
L: My goal is to continue the good work done by Janita and make sure Sub offers all kinds of activities and opportunities to its members. Also, our new board is quite fresh, meaning a lot are in for the first time, so I hope to encourage them to continue with us for long and see the fun side of student organization responsibilities.
Sounds like a great start. Can’t wait to see the results. Speaking of results: Janita, what are you most proud of doing last year?
J: I would say I’m proud of getting everything done in time with minimal hassle. I never left anything hanging and handled all necessary business well before any deadlines. It made me so happy to hear that some board members thought the year ran very smoothly and I hope my sometimes over-the-top punctuality was a part of the reason for it.
Minimal hassle, maximum efficiency! Sounds like a great way to run a board. But what do you two think Sub’s role is in our daily student life? What is your mission?
J: I would say Sub’s role is to spread positivity and bring people together from all different backgrounds. If we can put a smile on any Subber’s face I think our mission has been accomplished.
L: I see Sub as a safe, welcoming environment, which offers students something to do outside classes and unifies them. The people are the best part of Sub and what makes it great. Starting a course where you don’t know anyone? Don’t worry, there’s people from Sub there. Wondering what to do tomorrow night? There’s a Sub event, join us!
Well said! I may be biased, but events are great. Other than that, what is/was the best thing about your role as president?
L: So far, having the trust of people to deal with these responsibilities motivates me a lot. Working with people on the board is very fun, everyone is very open and hardworking, without losing their sense of humour.
J: My favourite thing as president was organizing activities for the board members in our free time. Being on the board means a lot of work and responsibility, so I really enjoyed organizing some fun free-time hangouts to balance out the work!
Last but not least, please give us a quote you would like to be remembered by.
J: Tallahassee in Zombieland said: “Time to nut up or shut up” and I think it describes me and my year as president perfectly.
L: “Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift these heavy-ass weights!” – Ronnie Coleman. Something that goes through my head all the time right now.
Thank you Janita and Luukas for doing this interview. We here at BTSB wish you both the best for the future and extend our heartfelt congratulation to you both for taking on the presidency.
