Stories > I was surprised by everything I could achieve – Helena’s best Sprint lessons

I was surprised by everything I could achieve – Helena’s best Sprint lessons

21.1.2025 | Insights, Sprint Innovation Festival, Student experience

Helena Maijanen participated in the Sprint Innovation Festival in spring 2024. In this story, she shares practical lessons, surprises, and her insights from this eventful study module!

I participated in the SPRINT Innovation Week for the first time in spring 2024. The two weeks flew by almost unnoticed.

As many coaches reminded us during their speeches throughout the event, two weeks of intensive team-building and entirely new types of innovation can sometimes be very challenging. At first, almost everything felt like a vague and overwhelming mass, but thankfully, piece by piece, the bigger picture began to take shape.

Helena with other Sprint participants (in a green shirt)

Challenge: Accepted

The main feelings I was left with from this experience were satisfaction and amazement at what you can achieve by challenging yourself. A special thanks goes to our coach, Maria Ruokonen, who was a much-needed source of support and guidance, often providing great tips and advice. The other HUBS coaches and staff were also incredibly inspiring, and it was reassuring to know that help was always available when needed.

It was fascinating to work with completely new people and to form a team under such a tight schedule. It was great to see the results we managed to achieve, even though the scheduling and tasks were sometimes quite challenging.

When six previously unfamiliar people are given schedules and tasks to coordinate under an extremely tight deadline, there were moments when I nearly lost faith. But in the end, everything turned better than well!

The main feelings I was left with from this experience were satisfaction and amazement at what you can achieve by challenging yourself.

Most Memorable Things in Sprint Experience

Our team, Kihkee, won the pitch in our theme, decided by the work-life partners, with an idea for an adult playground designed to improve workplace well-being. It was wonderful to see that the partners valued uniqueness and playfulness in their selection—qualities that are definitely needed more in working life.

Kihkee-tiimi lavalla hymyilemässä kameralle. — Team Kihkee was awarded during the final day of Sprint.

What I found truly wonderful about Sprint was the use of humor. I think many courses could benefit from a touch of humor, but Sprint really embraced it fully. In my opinion, that’s the perfect balance needed to get through such an intensive week.

Sprint was also beautifully structured, with its different components, such as team brainstorming sessions, coaching, and shared lectures. Even little things, like the surprise breakfast, were a delightful touch that brightened up the experience despite the intense pace!

It was nice to meet new people during Sprint, but there could have been more time to connect with others and collaborate with different teams. For example, during the testing phase, it was really enjoyable to discuss our idea with others, test it a bit, and hear their opinions.

Luckily, at the end of Sprint, we also got to see some of the amazing innovations from other teams! Many of them were incredibly inspiring and had discovered new perspectives on various topics.

Sprint offered a lot, but most tangibly, I learned what pitching truly means and how to structure a good pitch. Additionally, the process of developing an idea from a problem or theme and refining it into something usable became much clearer.

Sprint was also beautifully structured, with its different components, such as team brainstorming sessions, coaching, and shared lectures.

Challenging but also rewarding were the broad themes, as they allowed for wide-ranging ideation. However, within such a tight schedule, it sometimes felt like a significant challenge. It was also fascinating to hear the opinions and stories from our partners, which helped bring our ideas to life.

A big thank you to my team, HUBS, and our coach!

All photos: Érica Dahlström-Dezonne

Interested in Sprint? Join us for the 2025 edition!

In 2025, the central theme of the Sprint Innovation Festival will be building a sustainable and humane future. The event will take place in March, 5.-14.3.2025, and the course will be entirely in English. A number of working life partners will also be involved, supporting students throughout various stages of the process.

The students are able to select a track that will match their interest: