Congratulations Alumni of the Year

For the third year in a row, Jönköping University (JU) will award the Alumni of the Year during a ceremony to be held on Tuesday, October 3. Incoming Executive Vice President Salem Seifeddine, together with a representative from each school, will hand out awards to the five alumni of the year 2023. The winners will be revealed today.

JU's schools (the School of Health and Welfare, the School of Education and Communication, the School of Engineering, Jönköping International Business School and Jönköping University Enterprise)- have during the year gathered nominations for the Alumni of the Year. The management of each school has then agreed on a former student who will receive the award at the ceremony on October 3.

“All five of our Alumni of the Year award winners are great role models for current and prospective JU students and provide an important link between JU and society - regionally, nationally and internationally. The award is a way to recognize and reward alumni who have made outstanding contributions in their professional or personal lives. I feel proud of this year's five winners, who are all incredibly good ambassadors for JU," says Salem Seifeddine, incoming Executive Vice President at JU.

The winners

School of Health and Welfare - Anne-Marie Suutari

From the motivation for the award:
Anne-Marie is a source of inspiration for students at the School of Health and Welfare by acting as a coach and lecturer while being a driven doctoral student and working as a senior physician and cardiologist at the medicine and geriatrics clinic at Höglandssjukhuset, Eksjö.

School of Education and Communication – Emil Jungåker

From the motivation for the award:
While at the university, he served as the Student Union president. He intially launched his career in Jönköping and subsequently pursued an international career. Today, Emil leads LinkedIn's global sales team.

Jönköping International Business School – Jonas Deichmann

From the motivation for the award:
Jonas is an adventure entrepreneur whose life journey inspires and positively impacts other people, leaders, peers, and students across the globe. His passion, commitment, and goal-oriented mindset have led him to travel the globe, continuing to serve as a true ambassador of JIBS's spirit of being international at heart, entrepreneurial in mind, and responsible in action.

School of Engineering – Joakim Wahlqvist

From the motivation for the award:
He has made great use, including in the environmental field where he has hunted spruce bark beetles by satellite, which saves a lot of money and contributes to climate benefits. Joakim is a role model in the industry.

Jönköping University Enterprise – Melis Degerli

From the motivation for the award:
Melis consistently shines as a superb ambassador for Pathway and Jönköping University. Her unwavering support, constructive approach, and positivity towards education inspire others.

Read the full nomination texts here.

The ceremony

Salem Seifeddine, and a representative from each school, will begin the ceremony by handing out the Alumni of the Year award to the five alumni and will read out the reasons for their nomination. The ceremony is followed by a panel discussion led by Andreas Torén, Student Support, where the alumni will talk about their experiences from the university, from their professional lives, and give some useful tips for current students.

JU welcomes everyone to the ceremony.