Meet Lapinlahti people: Miisa Mondolin
Miisa Mondolin spent the summer of 2025 completing an internship at Lapinlahden Lähde. She had become familiar with the area through her therapy visits. She fell in love with the place’s atmosphere and environment, which combined art, mental health and nature. Hailing from Vääksy in Päijät-Häme, it was important to Miisa that Lapinlahti was free from the noise of traffic and offered an opportunity to unwind away from the sounds of the city.
“I’m doing a basic degree in media and visual expression at Stadin Ammattikoulu, and I was thrilled to secure my first internship at the Pro Lapinlahti mental health association.”
Miisa is interested in graphic design, particularly the development of the visual appearance and user-friendliness of websites. As part of the Pro Lapinlahti communications team, she designed posters and Instagram posts, and was responsible for the visual appearance of the August Harvest Festival publications. She also took lots of photos at the Lapinlahden Lähde summer events.
‘Working with my colleagues has been inspiring. Designing publications and trying out different options is interesting, as is asking for other people’s opinions during the process. Which fonts and colours should be used? Which logos should appear in the final result?”
Although she feels a little hypocritical, Miisa has nothing negative to say about Lapinlahti: “Everything here is wonderful: the people, nature, historical environment, art, cafés and my colleagues’ dogs. The only bad thing is the planned harbor tunnel for Lapinlahti Park.”
‘It’s great to see an organisation where everyone pulls together. It’s important to create a good working community where everyone can be themselves. You can have bad days too. At Lapinlahti, I have received encouragement and experienced success in my work. I have also learned to complete my tasks on schedule, something I struggled with before.”
Although Miisa has enjoyed her time in Helsinki reasonably well, it still doesn’t feel like home.
“When you come from a place surrounded by fields and lakes, you miss smaller communities. However, Helsinki is a good place to study media and build a professional network. I have met important people here and received better support for my mental health challenges. Now things are starting to go a little better.”
Miisa’s three-month internship ended at the end of August, and she will resume her audiovisual communication studies in September. She is still considering her specialisation in the media field. Further studies, gaining diverse work experience and travelling are all possible options for the future. However, she has no intention of leaving Lapinlahti behind.
“Absolutely not. There would be quite a fight if I were told that I couldn’t come back. Lapinlahti is my favourite place in Helsinki. It should remain unchanged even after the renovation. I’ve always wanted to take part in the tulip planting event in Lapinlahti, but I’ve missed it every time.”
Text: Juhana Heikkilä
Photo: Matti Koskinen