Avin Alhanan is a determined learner of Finnish

For Avin Alhanan, who has studied Finnish with perseverance, the opportunity to study is a source of great pride, but studying also arouses conflicting emotions.

Learning is an important part of life for many, but what if the start of your learning journey has been filled with uncertainty, chaos and fear? What emotions does learning evoke as an adult, having been forced to drop out of school as a child because of war?

For 23-year-old Avin Alhanan, who is studying Civil and Community Engineering, it hasn’t been an easy start.

– The feeling of being an outsider is hard to shake off,” says Alhanan.

The war in Syria interrupted the then 11-year-old Alahan’s schooling.

– I remember the confusion that the summer holiday didn’t seem to end at all. Finally, the news came that the school had been closed due to security problems. Fear and confusion took over completely,” recalls Alhanan.

For Alhanan, who had thoroughly enjoyed school and learning, the sudden interruption was sad and frustrating.

– I couldn’t understand why I had to stay away from school for so long – eventually for five whole years. Now, of course, in hindsight I understand that the safety of our family was the most important thing,” Alhanan reflects.

Language skills boost self-confidence

Alhanan describes learning Finnish as an “intense experience”. The mere fact that she was able to learn again was meaningful. A new language and a new culture meant new opportunities.

Unfortunately, in a Finnish secondary school, I faced racism and severe bullying from the first day of school.

Alhanan decided to focus on learning and her hard work was rewarded with a Sisukas suomenoppija scholarship.

Avin Alhanan, who speaks Finnish, English, Turkish, Kurdish and Arabic, stresses the importance of family and home. Her family has always encouraged her to educate herself and to aim high.

In the future, he wants to work on customer experience development. I know that my difficult trials and bright personality are suited to demanding customer projects.

The Finnish language develops during your studies

Avin Alhanan praises Turku UAS for its strong sense of community and the support offered to students with Finnish as second language backgrounds.

It has been really great to see how different the ages and backgrounds of the students at Turku University of Applied Sciences are.

Turku University of Applied Sciences has a strong will to offer support services that promote the development of the Finnish language during studies.

Support services include preparatory training, which combines both language studies and vocational content. Networks to work training is aimed at highly skilled immigrants.

There are also Finnish as a Second Language studies open to all students, regardless of their field of study or study path.

Turku UAS also has a MOI guidance service, which offers personal support in planning studies, studying and developing the Finnish language.