AYY proposes Marcell Berta as a member of the 2026 SYL Board

AYY proposes Marcell ’Marc’ Berta as a member of the SYL Board. Berta, 24, is a master's student in mathematics at Aalto University School of Science. This year, he serves as an AYY Board Member with responsibility for education policy. Berta has extensive experience from several positions of trust. He is currently a student representative in university administration and a deputy member of the Espoo City Technical Services Committee. In addition, he has chaired the Greener Aalto’s Representative Council Group and the Community Committee, among other positions. 

‘It is a great honour and privilege to be nominated as AYY’s candidate for the 2026 SYL Board! I’m grateful for the confidence my student union has shown in me’, Berta commented on his appointment. 

SYL represents Finnish university students at the national level and takes positions on education policy, social policy, and international issues. The AYY Representative Council’s Advocacy Committee interviewed the applicants and made its proposal to the AYY Board, which confirmed the proposal at its meeting 24/2025. 

‘As the parliamentary elections are approaching, 2026 will be an important year for the student movement. We must ensure that students’ voices are heard, and we must lay a solid foundation for effective policymaking in the upcoming government term’, Berta emphasizes.  

Berta highlights three themes that are important to him: students’ subsistence, accessible higher education, and the integration of international students. 

’We must shift the focus from the student loan system toward a fairer, more stable, and sustainable system that restores students’ purchasing power’, Berta outlines. 

According to Berta, higher education should not be seen as a machine for producing higher education degrees, but rather as a place for learning and self-determination. The reasons for making higher education accessible to all must stem from a desire to help everyone have a better life. Financial incentives for universities should be reconsidered so that funding reflects their important work in society rather than being tied to students’ graduation times. 

’We need to promote living and working environments that foster an international culture. Finland should be a destination for international students, not just a stopover’, Berta summarises. 

SYL will elect the 2026 Board at its general assembly in Espoo on 14–15 Nov 2025. At the general assembly, AYY is represented by a delegation appointed by the AYY Board.   

Further information: 

Marcell Berta, marcell.berta@ayy.fi

Chair of the AYY Board Sakari Ropponen, sakari.ropponen@ayy,fi, +358 40 843 3899