This week, we are joined by our new Programme Assistant, Oghenetega Oke (Tega for short) who will be with us for the next 10 months doing her Svenska kulturfonden (SKF) / The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland internship! Read on to learn more about Tega and her expectations for the internship.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
I am a 23-year-old Swedish speaking Finn born and raised in Helsinki. Last December I received my Bachelor’s degree in Gender studies from Åbo Akademi University, but during my studies I also did courses in Cultural administration and Human resources management. Having chosen to study power structures in societies and feminist theory, my interests (unsurprisingly) lie in topics of equality. To be more specific, anti-racism, sexuality and anti-ableism are what I’m especially passionate about.
My most recent endeavour was my exchange semester in France at Université Lumière Lyon 2 this past spring, where I was able to improve my French skills – something that I bet will come in handy during my time here in Brussels!
In my free time, I like to stay active both mentally and physically. I love dancing and reading, so I am excited to check out the dance scene and start exploring Belgian literature (maybe try out the comics format?).
Do you have any expectations/hopes/goals for your internship at the Institute?
Having participated in the planning of my own student association’s events (shoutout Judith at ÅA!), I am a bit familiar with organizing events but on a much smaller scale. However, as the Institute works on an international level I am excited to experience the intriguing behind-the-scenes of the bigger networks within the cultural and artistic sector. As Programme Assistant, I’m sure that I’ll reach my goal of becoming more confident in my practical abilities, such as in communication and in project and event planning.
Moreover, I hope to become better at Finnish during my internship! Being used to a Swedish-speaking bubble, I now have the perfect opportunity to practise all the languages I know with my multilingual colleagues.
What are your first impressions of Brussels? What are you most excited about?
My first impression of Brussels was that there is a lot of rain! But the city is beautiful and rich in culture so I’ll push through any weather to be able to explore all the fun activities available to me. I’m so excited to visit all the cool museums, find my new favorite dance studio/bookshop and delve into the exciting projects coming towards the Institute. I’m sure I will have a great time!
—
We are so glad to have you on board Tega!