Ilona, Finland: "I like to think of myself as someone with sisu"

“I like to think of myself as someone with sisu. Sisu is a concept from my country, Finland, that means perseverance, grit, bravery, or determination.”

“I'm an academic. I research issues related to immigration, refugees, and economic inequality. I try to fight polarization with data and statistical methods. When you look at issues closely and carefully, not everything is black and white.” For Ilona, numbers bring her closer to other people: “The other dimension of my work is teaching. I can see how much young people struggle with mental health problems. In addition to teaching, I try to listen to my students and help them.”

I had to ask my thesis supervisor, ‘Why did you choose me?’ And he replied: ‘Because I saw that you wanted to change the world.’

Researching issues like immigration, refugees and climate change has led her to live in different places, where he has made friends with people from the Work: “I've met people from Opus Dei in various countries. The spirit of the Work is very simple and universal: nice people who want to serve others. In time I discovered that these people were not gentle because of their character but because of their vocation and their way of life their way of praying. And I thought: ‘I want to be like them.’ I saw that I can be a normal working person in the world, living my faith and helping others.”

“I had to ask my thesis supervisor, ‘Why did you choose me?’ And he replied: ‘Because I saw that you wanted to change the world.’”

“I've lived in Helsinki, Paris, Budapest, Vienna, Florence, Oxford, and now Madrid. I never know where life takes me, but wherever I am, I feel at home because home is a place where you can serve others.”