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Originally from Finland, Essi Aittasalo enrolled at Edinburgh Napier thanks to a high school friend from Scotland who had done the same thing. She originally applied to study English Literature and Film but realised early on that literature was something she enjoyed in her free time and that sport was her true passion. Therefore, shortly after joining Edinburgh Napier, Essi transferred to the BSc Sport and Exercise Science course. She then completed a Masters in Sport Performance Enhancement. 

“A key reason I chose to continue my studies at Edinburgh Napier was the dual career programme. This enabled me to continue combining studying with my roles in high performance sport.”

Essi continued to play ice hockey whilst in Edinburgh and joined the Edinburgh Eagles/Beagles - a university ice hockey club for all Edinburgh universities. In 2017 she was instrumental in creating the first ever Scottish female ice hockey team, the Caledonia Steel Queens which went on to win the Women’s Nationals Title in April 2019 and 2022 with a perfect record. The club’s principal aim is to promote female participation in ice hockey. This also gave Essi the opportunity to explore the organisational side of sport and became a players’ representative with the British Universities Ice Hockey Association.  

“I’ve really enjoyed being part of the development of women’s hockey at university level. Ice hockey was a significant part of my student experience; I was assistant captain for two seasons but combined my passion for playing with my degree course projects.”

Thanks to her love of sport, Essi’s move from student life to career proved quite seamless. She started volunteering at sporting events as a student, including the Ice Hockey World Championships. Essi continues to volunteer for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and has just returned from the 2022 Ice Hockey Men’s World Championships in Finland. As a student, Essi was also an On-Ice Official for Ice Hockey UK, Assistant Coach to the Great Britain U18 Women’s Ice Hockey Team, and a Player Development Officer for the British Universities Ice Hockey Association. And if that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Essi has also volunteered in the sports office of the organising committee for the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships.

After graduating from her Masters, Essi was offered an internship with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), working with the Athletes’ Commission and Athletes’ Entourage Commissions, to support athletes in their sporting and non-sporting careers. Athletes and their entourage are offered support programmes, resources, and offers, and host activities in the Olympic Village during the Olympic Games. 

“It has been such a rewarding journey seeing and being part of everything that the IOC does to support the best athletes in the world. I am incredibly grateful to have been a part of the IOC during an exceptional year in which we have had the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

“When the Covid pandemic hit in the middle of my Masters degree, it certainly brought its own challenges in adapting to a career after studying. I started my IOC job remotely, so I have really had to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to build those professional relationships through a computer. It has been a huge learning curve in terms of communication styles and self-confidence.”

The qualifications and experiences that Essi gained during her studies have proved to be fundamental as she shapes her career. In particular, writing, critical analysis and presenting skills she developed at Edinburgh Napier have been useful in Essi’s daily work.

“Although I am working in a slightly different side of sports now, all the understanding of sport performance, human physiology, sport psychology and so on has been incredibly important and useful in my work so far. I definitely believe I would not be here without my university experience.”