Hemaka Goonetilleke, Compliance Engineer, Konecranes Ltd
Tell us briefly about your background in Tampere, your career and your current work
I was born and raised on a little island named Sri Lanka, which encompasses pristine tropical nature and ancient engineering. Living in a tropical paradise inspired me to become an amateur nature photographer, environmentalist, and bird watcher. Surrounded by the renewable energy and engineering sector of my home country since my childhood, directed my passion for safe engineering. Consequently, I moved to Finland to study a bachelor of Environmental engineering at TAMK following my high school education in Sri Lanka. I live in Tampere and work in hybrid as a Compliance engineer for Port Cranes at Konecranes Hyvinkää, focusing on product risk assessments and integrating sustainability into engineering.
What did you especially appreciate at your own higher education institution?
Practicality and industry focus were key strengths in the education I received at TAMK I’d like to highlight. Furthermore, coming from a traditional conservative education culture, it was a positive cultural shock when I realized the kindness, helpfulness, humility and approachable nature of TAMK’s lecturers. This is what I'm grateful for and value the most as it provided me encouragement to learn more.
Why would you recommend Tampere as a student city?
There are many perks of being a student in Tampere. Accessible education, great public transport, bicycle paths, beautiful nature close to the city, and public saunas are definitely the highlights for me.
How would you describe Tampere as a city in general, what makes it special?
Firstly, I would recommend it as it's the perfect size between a welcoming city and a peaceful town. This city has everything students would want. The sauna capital of the world consists of breathtaking lakes, forests and ski tracks. It’s a great place to live or for a person to begin a new endeavour.
