2019-2020 Alumni Association Events

Christmas Trip to Vilnius, Lithuania

December 12-14, 2019

Read about the ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Associations Christmas Trip to Vilnius, Lithuania from "Internationalizing Alumni: Lithuanian and Finnish Fulbrighters Discuss Collaboration in Vilnius" Blog post written by the President of the Association Kirsi Cheas.

People sitting in a circle. One woman is explaining something with a smile on her face while others are listening to her.

Welcome Event

August 21, 2019

Wednesday August 21 the ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association organized their yearly Welcome Event. The Welcome Event aims to welcome the newly arrive U.S. Fulbright grantees to Finland and offer them and Fulbright Finland Alumni an opportunity to get to know each other and network. The event also offers a possibility to the U.S. Fulbrighters to meet their buddies in Finland if they have not yet met. The event was held at Sibelius Upper Secondary School, who’s a long time partner of the association. The evening started with a few words from the president of the association, Kirsi Cheas. The participants enjoyed dance and song performances by the students of the Sibelius Upper Secondary that brought tears in to many eyes before moving to the upper floors of the school where refreshments were offered.

Spring Visit to Nuutajärvi Glass Village

May 4, 2019

Photo Collage of ASLA Fulbright Alumni Association Visit to Nuutajärvi Glass Village in May 2019

In early May members of ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association organized a Spring visit to Nuutajärv iGlass Village where U.S. Fulbright Finland Fellow and Glass Artist Jonathan Capps is spending his Fulbright term. Participants included members of the association and current U.S. Fulbrighters in Finland from Turku, Tampere and Helsinki. During the visit attendees learned more about the village’s rich history and glass blowing. At the village the visit started by a guided tour by glass artist Jenni Sorsa who toured the group in the Design Museum Nuutajärvi, which was designed by Kaj Franck a 1955 Fulbright Finland grantee, and the glass works environment while sharing stories of the buildings, pieces of art and the artists of the village. Thanks to Jenni Sorsa and Jonathan Capps, a 2018-2019 U.S. Fulbright Fellow and glass artist located at Nuutajärvi, the group got to see multiple different glass artists, their stores and art pieces as well as a blacksmiths workshop. During the afternoon the group got a close up demo on glass blowing when Jonathan and two other artists started blowing glass just a few meters in front of them. The day concluded with a visit to Jonathan’s studio and a possibility to buy glass pieces made by the amazing artists the group had met and heard about during the day.

 

Alumni Event at Paulig Kulma - Pavun Tarina and Ice Skating

January 23, 2019

Photo Collage of ASLA Fulbright Alumni Association Pavun Tarina event in January 2019

The ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association members and U.S. Fulbright grantees and their family members enjoyed the evening of fresh air and coffee. Before the coffee tasting and learning insights of coffee at Paulig Kulma Cafe, the group had some fun on ice when they all went ice-skating in Helsinki Ice Park.