Deborah Laajanen
Lawyer & Law Student · From Philippines · In Finland since 2021
Deborah Laajanen is a licensed attorney from the Philippines who moved to Finland in 2021 after marrying a Finn. Back home she had spent years earning a bachelor's degree, a juris doctor, and clearing the bar exam — none of which counted for much in a Finnish job market that required advanced Finnish even for paralegal roles. She turned that frustration into fuel: studying on and off over three years through a difficult pregnancy and major life adjustments, she passed the demanding valtionhallinnon kielitutkinto exam and earned a place at the University of Helsinki Law School to study a master of laws entirely in Finnish.
Episode featuring Deborah
005: From Zero to Finnish Law School in 3 years - Deborah Laajanen
3 years to go from zero Finnish to law school admission. Check out this interview of how Deborah was able to learn such high level Finnish. In this episode, we delve into the inspiring journey of Deborah Laajanen, a lawyer from the Philippines who managed to get accepted into a Finnish law school despite being in Finland for just a few years. Deborah shares her struggles and strategies for learning Finnish to an advanced level, including the use of resources like Suomen mestari, podcasts, and integrating herself into Finnish society. She also discusses the motivation behind her efforts, the role of discipline, and the importance of setting concrete goals. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone facing the daunting task of learning a new language, especially in a new country.Read More
