If you're a student at the University of Toronto, and are weighing your options still, you may be interested to hear that a new U of T student group, the Estonian Student's Association (ESTA) has been founded, based at the University of Toronto. Three of its members—Aleksa Gold, Kaisa Kasekamp, and Erik Kreem—took the time to share their story with Eesti Elu.
ESTA first came to be in September 2022, when Global Health and Environmental Studies student (and varsity swimming champion) Aleksa Gold first met Kaisa Kasekamp (who studies Ethics, Society, and Law) at a Korp! Filiae Patriae visitor's night. Meeting Sydney Keevallik, Maiki Müürsepp, and many of Kasekamp's university friends, Gold came to realize just how many Estonian students there were in Toronto. Subsequently, meeting her former Eesti Kool classmate Erik Kreem, the three students decided to form a club where they could all get together and get to know each other better. That same night, Gold, Kasekamp, Keevallik, Kreem, and Müürsepp created a group chat with several young Estonians they knew. Before long, they were applying for Ulife campus recognition at the University of Toronto.
Although similar organizations, such as UTESA (the University of Toronto Estonian Students' Association), have existed in different configurations at U of T in the past, ESTA is quite new. After agreeing on their aim, choosing a name, and applying, each new student organization takes about a month to achieve recognition. ESTA was officially founded in the third week of November, 2022.
As of the end of 2022, the group had 21 members. This includes a large number of undergraduate students, two postgrad students, and a few faculty members as well. To this end, the group relates specifically to academics. Kasekamp says, “There are a lot of people who are first or second years who the upper years can support in what they're doing, who can talk about the U of T experience…” Conversely, Gold noted that students who are joining ESTA early on have great potential to remain involved in the group for a long period of time.
Evidently, age has been a consideration in this group's creation. Thinking back on the origins of ESTA, Gold expressed how one can be “very engaged in the Estonian community when you're a kid through camps and Girl Guides or Scouts. But then you reach the age where you're in university and all the events are for older adults… It's really important for us to make a space to keep the young people engaged and not call them back when they're 30 or 40.”
When asked how the offerings of the Estonian Student's Association differ from korporatsioonid and seltsid (Estonian sororities, fraternities, and societies), Gold, herself a member of Korp! Filiae Patriae for over a year, described how ESTA is more informal and less about a traditional academic experience.
Music Composition student Erik Kreem describes ESTA as an organization where you can fit in “if you're just coming to Toronto for university and you don't know anyone is in this city or the [local] Estonian community.” Kreem continued, “It's hard to bond informally just over the fact that you have shared cultural heritage… The fact that we have made this club [is like] putting up a sign saying ‘we're friendly, and we're happy to get to know you.' It'll take away maybe some of that intimidation factor.”
Indeed, several ESTA members come from outside of Toronto: Tuuli Olo is from Ottawa, Bronwyn Pajo is from Kingston, and Maiki Müürsepp is from Connecticut. Coming from Estonia are Jaan Martin Klaar, Adel Müürsepp, and Kaisa Kasekamp.
Kasekamp emphasized the value of inclusivity when it comes to how their organization works. With regard to academics, she says “If people from, for example, Toronto Metropolitan University want to join the club, we would not bar them from joining… I think it would be nice if there could be more people from other universities and colleges.” For that matter, although she is fluent in Estonian and often communicates with Gold in Estonian, activities operate in English and online communications are bilingual. In that way, ESTA is a welcoming, educational opportunity for anyone at all who is interested in connecting with Estonian culture, regardless of one's cultural background or roots. Kreem has already found it to be a comfortable setting to continue practising Estonian.
So far, the members of ESTA have run their very first Söök and Work event, combining studying and pizza. Kasekamp envisions that in 2023, the group will seek funding by way of the U of T Student Initiative Fund. With funding, it will be more possible to organize activities such as guest speaker talks, attending film festivals, and visiting museums. ESTA is also planning a dance for autumn 2023.
She also expressed enthusiasm about the potential of the group based on the current membership and how many more young Estonians would be studying at U of T, Toronto Metropolitan University, and other higher education institutions in the coming year.
All U of T students who are interested in joining ESTA can do so by contacting any member of the group for more info, or by reaching out to the organization itself on Instagram or Facebook.
