2022: Maria Åhman
Congratulations to American Studies Grant 2022 winner Maria Åhman. Maria is studying at the University of Helsinki where she is completing her master’s thesis titled, “Abraham Lincoln and The Indian System: Indian Policy of the Lincoln Administration during the Civil War, in the Context of the Dakota War of 1862.” As part of the grant, Maria will travel to Minnesota to conduct research with primary sources and archives.
Maria’s trip report from May 2023 available on our website.
2020: Jutta Rauvala
Ms. Jutta Rauvala, the American Studies Grant 2020 winner, spent six months in the heart of Finnish America – Hancock, Michigan – in 2019, researching second, third, and fourth generation Finnish-Americans who have lived most of their lives in communities that have preserved the traditions and language of their ancestors, but who are also a part of the world’s biggest cultural melting pot. Ms. Rauvala is studying Finnish language at Tampere University and her master’s thesis focuses on the role and usage of Finnish language amongst Finnish-Americans in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She joins 27 other students who, since 2006, have received this award from the U.S. Embassy in Finland to support their master’s thesis on a topic focusing on the United
2019: Annika Tuominen
Deputy Public Affairs Officer Nazanin Berarpour had the pleasure of congratulating the American Studies Grant 2019 winner, Annika Tuominen, in the Esplanade Park on September 28, 2020. Ms. Tuominen graduated in spring 2020 from the Tampere University, School of Architecture, and the title of her awarded Master’s Thesis is “Access to Subway: Design Solutions for Equitable and Intuitive Use”.
The U.S. Embassy Finland has been running its successful grant program for Finnish university students who are working on their Master’s thesis that concentrates on the United States since 2006. So far, 26 students have received the award.
2018: Heidi Pennanen, Salla Uusitalo, and Heini Ylärakkola
Deputy Public Affairs Officer Ethan Tabor had the pleasure of congratulating the new American Studies Grant winners at the Kaisa Library on June 11, 2019.
Heidi Pennanen from the University of Helsinki was awarded for her Master’s Thesis “International Space Law and Space Resource Utilization – United States’ Approach to Freedom of Use.”
Salla Uusitalo from the University of Tampere was awarded for her Master’s Thesis “Expanding Corporate Social Responsibility – Starbucks as a Political & Human Rights Activist in the American Society.”
Heini Ylärakkola from the University of Turku was awarded for her Master’s Thesis “California Dreaming – Finns in California since the Gold Rush till Silicon Valley.”
Heidi Pennanen and Salla Uusitalo were present in the award ceremony.
The U.S. Embassy Finland has been running its successful grant program for Finnish university students who are working on their Master’s thesis that concentrates on the United States since 2006. So far, 25 students have received the award.
2017: Emilia Lehtonen, Tuomas Lieskivi, Tinja Nieminen, and Ilmari Reunamäki
The U.S. Embassy Finland hosted the winners of the 2017 American Resource Center (ARC) Grant 2017 at a ceremony in the Embassy’s Innovation Center on May 21, 2018. The U.S. Embassy awarded a record number of four ARC Grants this year due to the exceptionally high quality of applications last fall.
Ms. Emilia Lehtonen, a student at the University of Helsinki, was awarded for her Master’s Thesis “Transfer of Business to the USA and its Tax Implications – The Private Equity Fund’s Perspective.”
Mr. Tuomas Lieskivi, a student at the University of Turku, was awarded for his Master’s Thesis “Made in America – America-related Representations and Author-positions in Articles of Suomen Kuvalehti in 2016.”
Ms. Tinja Nieminen, a student at the University of Jyväskylä, was awarded for her Master’s Thesis “The Feminist Voice of Hip-hop? – Negotiating Alternative Identities in Contemporary American Hip-hop.”
Mr. Ilmari Reunamäki, a student at the University of Tampere, was awarded for his Master’s Thesis “The Mentality of an American Civil War Soldier in the Wartime Letters.”
Since 2006, the ARC has managed this grant program for Finnish university students, who are working on a Master’s thesis concentrating on the United States. So far, 22 students have received the award.
2016: Riikka Olkinuora, Anni Öberg, and Sara Saramäki
Assistant Public Affairs Officer Jeanie Duwan had the pleasure of congratulating the ARC Grant 2016 winners at the Kaisa library on May 11, 2017.
Ms. Riikka Olkinuora, a student at the University of Helsinki, was awarded for her Master’s Thesis “The Changing Role of the Teacher in 21st Century Education: A Case Study on Teacher Interventions in a FUSE Studio Makerspace” (working title.) Ms. Anni Öberg, also a student at the University of Helsinki, was awarded for her Master’s Thesis “Bannack Ghost Town: A Colorless Reflection of America’s Western Past” (working title.)
In addition, a special Finland Centennial Mention Award went to Sara Saramäki, a student at the University of Helsinki, for her Master’s Thesis “American Parties’ Policies towards Europe in the Post-Cold War Era – A Comparative Analysis of the Democratic and Republican Party Platforms” (working title.)
The American Resource Center has been running its successful grant program for Finnish university students who are working on their Master’s thesis that concentrates on the United States since 2006. So far, 18 students have received the award.
2015: Juuso Koskinen and Evelina Salo
American Resource Center Grant 2015 awardees were celebrated at the ARC 70th Anniversary Seminar at the Helsinki University Kaisa Library on May 19, 2016. We were proud to present certificates to the 2015 ARC Grant winners Juuso Koskinen and Evelina Salo. Mr. Koskinen studies at Turku University, and the working title of his Master’s Thesis is “Anchor for Neutrality – United States Role in Finnish Foreign Policy 1980-1990.” Ms. Salo studies at Åbo Akademi University and the working title of her Master’s Thesis is “’I am in Here: David Foster Wallace’s Investigation of Mind and Self.” Congratulations!
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the ARC Grant program. So far 15 Finnish students have received a scholarship from the ARC.
2014: Anna Wennäkoski and Joonas Tuhkuri
American Resource Center Grant 2014 awardees were celebrated on May 7 at the Helsinki University Kaisa Library. Scholarships were presented to Ms. Anna Wennäkoski and Mr. Joonas Tuhkuri. Anna Wennäkoski prepares her thesis to Hanken School of Economics and the title of her thesis is “Examining the Undisclosed – A Comparative Analysis of the Protection of Trade Secrets in the European Union and in the United States.” Joonas Tuhkuri is finalizing his studies at the Department of Political and Economic Studies at the University of Helsinki and the title of his thesis is “Big Data: Do Google Searches Predict Unemployment?”
A total of 14 applications were submitted for the ARC Grant 2014. The competition was nationwide – students from six universities across Finland submitted their applications, and it attracted interest from a wide variety of academic programs. The applications covered a wide variety of subject matters including political science, cultural history, the English language, and social science.
The winners for the ARC Grant 2014 were chosen by Mr. Jeff Reneau, Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs (U.S. Embassy), Ms. Jeanie Duwan, Assistant Public Affairs Officer (U.S. Embassy), and Ms. Terhi Mölsä, Executive Director, Fulbright Center.
2013: Panu Kontkanen
Public Affairs Officer Jeffrey Reneau and Executive Director of Fulbright Center Terhi Mölsä presented the annual American Resource Center award of 1,000 Euros to Panu Kontkanen on April 16. The ARC grant was established in 2006 and it is applicable to Finnish university students, who are currently working on a Master’s Thesis on a United States related topic. The ceremony was an excellent start to the last lecture in series of “Windows to Iconic America” for both the winning thesis and the topic of the lecture covered the themes on religious traditions of Native Americans and especially the sweat lodge tradition.
2012: Suvi Karila
Ms. Suvi Karila of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Turku has been selected as the winner of the 2012 ARC Scholarship. The title of her Master’s Thesis is “Atheism and Human Rights in the Philosophy of Ernestine L. Rose (1810-1892).”
A total of 16 applications were submitted for the 2012 ARC grant of 1000 Euros. The selection committee was captivated by the originality, diversity, and the academic quality of the topics and applications. The competition was nationwide – students from seven universities across Finland submitted their applications, and it attracted interest from a wide variety of academic programs. The applications covered a wide variety of subject matters including history, the English language, law, political science, North American studies, literature, cultural history and church history.
After lengthy deliberations, the committee members – Mr. David McGuire, Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs (U.S. Embassy), Ms. Amy Hirsch, Assistant Public Affairs Officer (U.S. Embassy), and Ms. Terhi Mölsä, Executive Director, Fulbright Center, selected Suvi Karila as this year’s winner.
2011: Paula Siltanen
The ARC Grant 2011 was awarded to Ms. Paula Siltanen on March 8 in Tampere. Public Affairs Officer Marjut Robinson presented the certificate and congratulated the winner on her achievement. Paula Siltanen studies at the Department of Political Science of the University of Tampere, and the title of her winning Master’s Thesis is “The concept of otherness / alterity in the foreign policy rhetorics of President Barack Obama.”
The American Resource Center announced the competition in September 2011, and a total of 24 applications were submitted for the 2011 ARC grant of 1,000 Euros. The selection committee – Ms. Marjut Robinson, Mr. David McGuire, Press Attaché (U.S. Embassy), and Ms. Terhi Mölsä, Executive Director, Fulbright Center, praised the high quality of the submissions. The applications were received from the universities of Oulu, Vaasa, Jyväskylä, Tampere, Turku, Helsinki, Åbo Akademi and Eastern Finland. The applications covered many subject areas, e.g. journalism, comparative religion, social research, political science, history, the English language, education, North American studies, and international relations.
The ARC Grant ceremony took place as a part of the America in Living Color Seminar co-organized by the North American Program at the University of Tampere and the Fulbright Center.
2010: Janniina Elo
The U.S. Embassy’s Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs Marjut Robinson announced the 2010 award recipient of the American Resource Center grant in the America in Living Color Seminar in Tampere on March 11.
The American Resource Center grant was established in 2006 to celebrate the library’s 60th anniversary. This year’s winner, Janniina Elo, is the 8th Finnish graduate student to receive the grant, which is intended to help the student finish a master’s thesis. Ms. Elo is currently enrolled at the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University of Tampere, and her Master’s thesis is titled “Parents Perceptions about Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care in the United States and Finland Helsinki.”
The ARC announced the competition in September 2010, and a total of 30 applications were submitted for the 2010 ARC grant of 1000 Euros. The selection committee of three members—Ms. Marjut Robinson, Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs (U.S. Embassy), Mr. David McGuire, Public Affairs Officer (U.S. Embassy), and Ms. Terhi Mölsä, Executive Director, Fulbright Center—selected the winner. The committee members were very pleased with the high quality of the applications. The members also noted with satisfaction that submissions were received from nine different universities throughout Finland on such diverse topics as sociology, forest ecology, political science, pharmacy, history, the English language, sociology, and journalism and communications.
The ARC Grant ceremony took place as a part of the America in Living Color Seminar co-organized by the North American Program at the University of Tampere and the Fulbright Center. Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs Marjut Robinson delivered Embassy’s greetings to the seminar participants and presented the award certificate to the scholarship winner.
2009: Tuomas Koskenniemi
Mr. Tuomas Koskenniemi from the University of Helsinki has been selected as the winner of the 2009 ARC Scholarship with his Master’s thesis entitled “We Are All Georgians, Aren’t We? The Neoconservative Reaction to the Russia-Georgia War.”
The American Resource Center announced the competition in September 2009 and a total of 18 applications were submitted for the 2009 ARC grant of 1000 Euros. The Jury praised the excellence of the submissions and noted that the academic quality and originality made it very difficult to select one winner from the entire group. Jurors noted that this year’s applications came from throughout Finland and covered such diverse subject areas as theology, political science, automation and systems technology, history, the English language, sociology, North American studies, international relations, and communications.
The jury members, Ms. Nicole Conn, Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs (U.S. Embassy), Mr. Michael Butler, Deputy Chief of Mission (U.S. Embassy), and Ms. Terhi Mölsä, Executive Director, Fulbright Center, selected Tuomas Koskenniemi as this year’s winner. Mr. Koskenniemi presented his research plan profoundly and clearly, and he convinced the jury about his capability to conduct this truly interesting and challenging research project.
2007: Susanne Setälä
Susanne Setälä from the Department of English at Turku University received the American Resource Center grant on February 20th. The annual grant is intended for students of Finnish nationality, enrolled at a Finnish university, who are working on a Master’s thesis on a topic related to the United States. The grant was established in 2006 to celebrate the ARC’s 60th anniversary.
Susanne Setälä’s Master’s thesis deals with African-American poet Lucille Clifton. Its working title is A Poet of Her Own Faith – Lucille Clifton and the Remaking of Christianity. The scholarship ceremony was arranged as part of the African American History Month, which is celebrated in February.
2006: Anni Sams, Petra Helenius, and Pekka Jääskeläinen
14 applications for the ARC grant were received by the closing date September 30, 2006, and the jury was impressed and delighted by the originality, diversity, and the high quality of the topics and applications. The first prize 1,000 € scholarship was awarded to Ms. Anni Sams from the Department of Sociology at Helsinki University with a Master’s thesis working title of Transnationalism, Global and Local Economies, and Cultures of Nationality Among the Cuban Immigrants in Miami. Additional 500 € scholarships were awarded to Ms. Petra Helenius from the North American Studies Program at Helsinki University with a Master’s thesis working title of Get Onboard to Underground Railroad, from Southern Louisiana up to Canada – Midwestern Route and its Importance in 1830’s – 1860’s and Mr. Pekka Jääskeläinen from the Department of English at Helsinki University with a Master’s thesis working title of Culture-Bound Problems in Translating Religious Aspects of “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” into Finnish.