Chau Tran and Linh Le are VAMK’s Alumni of the Year

The annual alumni event of Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, held for the fifth time on October 22, 2025, culminated in the awarding of the Alumni of the Year. This time, the Alumnus of the Year title was awarded to an entrepreneurial couple Chau Tran and Linh Le instead of a single alumnus. Tran and Le graduated from VAMK with degrees in Business Administration and Engineering in Information Technology. After graduation, they founded the Long Van ice cream kiosk, which quickly became popular among the people of Vaasa.

“We are truly surprised and honoured to receive this recognition. It means a lot to us because it reflects the effort and growth we’ve had over the years,” Le and Tran rejoice adding that it also motivates them to keep improving themselves and to continue contributing to the community.

VAMK's management team selects the Alumnus of the Year based on nominations from external and internal stakeholders. The award can be given to an individual who has graduated from Vaasa University of Applied Sciences and who, through their own example, highlights the importance of higher education and VAMK’s values.

“Heartfelt congratulations to both! Chau Tran and Linh Le have demonstrated exceptional entrepreneurial spirit and competence since their graduation. They have created a local success story and established a strong, well-known brand which almost every person in Vaasa knows. Chau Tran and Linh Le have applied the knowledge and skills gained during their studies in an exemplary way, and their work reflects VAMK's values, such as customer orientation, empathy and openness. They both serve as inspiring role models for current students on a regional level. The entire VAMK community is proud of them,” says VAMK’s CEO, President Hannu Vahtera.

Individual Career Paths and Professional Development

The theme of this year's alumni event was career paths and professional development. Speaking about his own diverse career journey was Sami Sykkö, a working life professor at LUT University, journalist, columnist, podcast host, speaker, and judge on the television show Project Runway.

In the interesting speech Sykkö emphasised the importance of courage in building a career path that reflects one’s own identity. In addition to courage, passion for the subject, creativity in seeing and doing things in new ways, and a desire to learn are important, according to Sykkö, in keeping up with development.

The Alumni of the Year, Tran and Le, also serve as good examples of professional development.

“Like many other alumni, our journey after graduation has been full of opportunities but also challenges. We started with small jobs gaining experience gradually. The lessons learned during our studies have been valuable from the very beginning of our entrepreneurial path, when we had to overcome every obstacle ourselves, all the way to the moments when we saw tangible results taking shape. Above all, the spirit of learning, the desire to grow and adapt, instilled in us by VAMK, has guided us whenever the future has felt uncertain,” Tran explains.

Long Van ice-cream kiosk started as a small summer project but later grew into something bigger and more meaningful.

”During studies, I often thought about how to make good use of our free time, especially during the summer, that’s how we started Long Van. After graduation we decided to stay in Vaasa, because we wanted to continue serving our lovely customers and to keep learning and developing our projects here. Vaasa feels like home to me, and it’s a great place to grow both personally and professionally”, tells Le.

Inspiring Studies

Tran and Le arrived from Vietnam at VAMK in 2016, unaware of each other, with high hopes but also uncertainty about whether they would be able to adapt to a new city or succeed in a multicultural environment.

“Thanks to the dedication of VAMK’s lecturers, the openness and kindness of fellow students, and the practical learning opportunities, we not only gained knowledge but also learned to think independently, collaborate across cultural boundaries, and, most importantly, persist through challenges,” the couple recalls.

“Studying at VAMK was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. My advice is to stay curious, be open-minded, and take every opportunity to learn both inside and outside the classroom”, says Le.

Chau Tran encourages current students to make the most of every day at VAMK.

“Be brave and dare to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to try new things or to fail. One day, when you look back, you’ll realise that the experiences from your study years form the foundation for the steps you’ll take in the future.”