Alumni of the Year celebrated

On Thursday, 2 October, four former students from Jönköping University (JU) were honoured with the title of Alumnus of the Year 2025. They have all made significant contributions in their professional fields or distinguished themselves through their deeds as individuals worthy of recognition. See the slideshow from the ceremony below.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Alumni of the Year award has been presented at JU. The School of Health and Welfare, the School of Education and Communication, the School of Engineering, and Jönköping University Enterprise have all agreed on their respective alumni, who have now received their awards. Jönköping International Business School has not nominated anyone for the award this year, but looks forward to returning in future rounds.

“It’s encouraging to hear that your work is important to others.”

Karl Volkohon, one of the award winners, came to Sweden from Ukraine in 2020 to study the Master's programme in Sustainable Communication at the School of Education and Communication on a scholarship.

“It's encouraging to hear that your work is important to others. When you work, you just work, you don't think about it that much, but on occasions like this, you realise that your work is important to others and makes a difference, which is gratifying,” he says.

Fouzieh Eliassy, winner of the School of Health and Welfare award, graduated from the dental hygienist programme in 2000 and is currently chair of the Swedish Dental Hygienists' Association.

“I am delighted and deeply honoured to receive this award. I am truly very proud. I look back on my time as a student and remember the student life well, everything I learned during my education, all my interactions with fellow students, some of whom are still close friends,” she says.

After some mingling and refreshments, the ceremony began in the JMW Hall at the University Library, with Salem Seifeddine, Executive Vice President of JU, welcoming everyone. Salem spoke about how important JU's alumni are to the university, saying that they are very important ambassadors and a bridge between society and JU.

Award ceremony and panel discussion

Representatives from the schools took to the stage to say a few words, read out the justification for the award and handed over the prize to their alumni.

After the award ceremony, Andreas Torén, Head of Educational Support, held an inspiring panel discussion with the award winners. One of the questions was about what the alumni thought was the most important thing they learned during their studies at JU.

Daniel Alejandro de los Rios Pérez, who received the award from Jönköping University Enterprise where he studied the Pathway programme, has since studied at the School of Engineering and is now a doctoral student at Jönköping International Business School (JIBS). Speaking via a link from Cuba, he said that he learned a great deal, but perhaps most importantly how to study in Sweden.

Fouzieh Eliassy believes that, in addition to everything important she learned to become a good dental hygienist, she also learned the importance of teamwork, collaborating with her classmates, but also with students studying other programmes. Karl Volkohon learned that knowledge is important. If you are aware of a problem in society, something you want to change, you need to have a lot of knowledge on the subject.

Despite the fact that one of the award winners was unable to attend due to illness and another participated digitally, Salem Seifeddine believes that the Alumnus of the Year event was a success and that it is a good way to recognise talented former students.

“I think the ceremony was very successful and inspiring. The alumni, with their varied academic backgrounds and careers, now work in different sectors and are still connected to their schools in various ways. The panel discussion, led by Andreas Torén, was both engaging and informative. It was fascinating to hear their stories and lessons learned from their studies, especially how their education at JU has helped them succeed in their careers. Promoting such events is important for networking, as JU sees alumni as important role models for both current and future students and for the surrounding society, he says.