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Monica Burba is the Director of Global Schools Development at Take Action Global, where she works to ensure that climate education reaches students everywhere—especially those whose voices are often left out of sustainability conversations. She partners with schools and funders to build equitable, inclusive programs that make climate action feel tangible and achievable. Whether connecting educators with resources, designing play-based learning experiences, or writing grants to expand reach across 190+ countries, her north star is simple: no one gets left behind. For Monica, inclusion isn't just a nice-to-have—it's how we actually move the needle on climate action.

Passionate about STEM education, space science, and educational innovation, Arpit Dugar is committed to inspiring curiosity, creativity, and future-ready thinking. As the founder of Lab of Future, his vision is to build an ecosystem where curious creators, innovators, and technology enthusiasts can explore, experiment, and thrive through immersive learning experiences. His diverse career spans education, technology, entrepreneurship, and writing, with leadership roles including Head of Business at Next Education (Dubai) and co-founder of Practiceguru.in and UniqueIndianCrafts.com. An accomplished speaker, he has represented India at prestigious international platforms, including the business delegation accompanying the Vice President of India to Qatar, the India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, the Smart Education Summit in Dubai, and the Ministry of Education in Jordan. His recent recognitions include nominations and awards for innovation in education at the GESS Awards and Global Education Summit in Dubai (2025), along with honors for his contributions to space technology education and teacher training. Beyond education and entrepreneurship, he is also an Indian novelist and author of *Nothing for You My Dear*, *Half-Life*, and other literary works. His interests span educational transformation, space exploration, the origin of life, data analytics, and travel, all driven by a belief that every individual deserves the opportunity to discover their potential and shape the future.

Marialice B.F.X. Curran, Ph.D. is an educational consultant and Community Impact Director for hashtag#SameHere Global, helping schools and organizations worldwide apply research in practical, human-centered ways while advancing inclusive mental health and social-emotional wellbeing across generations, at school, home, play, and work.

Our guest today has spent nearly two decades at JAMK University of Applied Sciences, evolving from a Senior Lecturer into a Head of Department in Service Business, while also working entrepreneurially through Ranger.fi Keski-Suomi. What stood out to me while learning more about his work was this recurring idea: How do we move education beyond classrooms and into real life in a way that actually transforms people? So today, we’ll be talking about leadership, curiosity, student confidence, collaboration, and what meaningful impact in education really looks like.

Jani Torppa is the co-founder and COO of Geeklab, the go-to UA and ASO platform for mobile game studios looking to grow smarter. Since starting the company in 2019, Jani’s been hands-on in making sure things run smoothly, driving the business forward, and working closely with the biggest names in gaming.

Erno Vienonen, Senior LecturerMSc in Information TechnologyErno Vienonen is a Senior Lecturer with a strong background in ICT, telecommunications, and cybersecurity. He combines technical expertise with business insight, having led international teams and development projects with members across Europe and Asia. His work has focused, e.g., on process automation, LEAN practices, and secure ICT infrastructures fulfilling business requirements and risk analysis. His research interests include scalable, business-aligned digital solutions that support innovation and resilience in cybersecurity and cloud environments.

Elliot — Co-founder & CEO of DAIGON Esports, the largest esports ecosystem for international and independent schools.At DAIGON, he helps schools turn students’ love of gaming into after-school clubs, global competitions, and curriculum-aligned leagues — no extra hardware required. Today, they are partnered with leading international school associations (COBIS, BSME, IAPS, TAISI, ISA) and work with hundreds of forward-thinking schools worldwide.For him, esports has always been more than gaming. It’s about belonging, confidence, resilience, and future-ready skills — the things he wished he had access to as a student in the international school system. Now, he gets to help schools everywhere provide that opportunity to the next generation.He is always happy to connect with educators, parents, and partners shaping the future of student life. 🚀A bit more about him:As a French-American third-culture kid, he highly values open-mindedness and adaptability. He is also passionate about the power that education can have to empower students and open opportunities beyond their wildest dreams. He is dedicated to lifelong learning and is constantly exploring how new technologies can help empower us. As a cum laude graduate from Georgetown University, he cherishes the idea of Cura Personalis (caring for the whole person) and empowering others through their passions.Passions and Locations:He is passionate about education, video games, sustainability, international development, politics, social justice, and entrepreneurship.

Destined to be in the industry, Jussi developed his first text-adventure games in elementary school and built his first team in high school. 12 years ago, he co-founded Zaibatsu Interactive – the leading mobile co-development studio in Finland. He’s worked on multiple blockbuster IPs, the latest being Squishmallows Match – a match-3 puzzle co-developed with East Side Games with the beloved brand by Jazwares.

Skyler Scarlett is an award-winning entrepreneur, inventor, and creator of GameClass, the patented platform turning games, sports, TV, and movies into real learning experiences.He holds multiple patents covering technology that transforms entertainment into structured educational content. His work sits at the intersection of AI, machine learning, vision, media, and education, developing systems that detect teachable moments inside gameplay, film, sports, and television.GameClass is building the infrastructure that allows learning to live directly inside the entertainment students already love.Today, GameClass reaches more than 500,000 learners across 13 countries, helping thousands of educators use game clips, sports moments, films, and shows as curriculum-aligned learning experiences. No hardware. No downloads. Just real engagement.Before GameClass, he founded and exited a wellness company and has spoken at leading universities and industry events including Berkeley, Columbia, Yale, GamesBeat, and The Esports Summit, with work featured in Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur.Today, he works with game publishers, sports teams and leagues, media companies, banks and financial institutions, corporate training organizations, and entertainment brands to launch branded GameClass experiences that transform their content into educational platforms, community engagement engines, and new interactive viewing experiences.These experiences also create entirely new marketing and distribution channels for partners, powered by educators and student creators generating educational content from the entertainment they already love.

Ridwan Whitehead is interested in how people interact with intelligent systems and how those systems can be designed, evaluated, and improved to genuinely support human goals. His work combines AI, language, and human learning, focusing on large language models, multimodal analytics, and evaluation methods that make AI more transparent and useful.He is trained in education and technology and currently works as a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Oulu. His current research explores large language models and computer vision in the context of socially shared regulation of learning within collaborative learning groups.He enjoys working in teams where ideas move fluidly between design, data, and people. He values seeing how thoughtful technology can enhance learning, wellbeing, and self-understanding. He aims to continue this work in roles that emphasize AI evaluation, human-centered design, and applied research that connects technology with real human impact.

Some conversations are not planned, they grow. What began as a simple connection across screens slowly turned into a journey of shared ideas, trust, and learning. Sitting in Finland, where so much of this work truly lives, this conversation with Pekka goes beyond a typical podcast. It reflects on collaboration across borders, the evolving role of education, and how meaningful change is built quietly, together.We explore how Finland continues to inspire new ways of thinking about learning, how AI is beginning to reshape creativity and classrooms, and how gaming is opening powerful new pathways for engagement, problem solving, and imagination. The conversation moves through growth, innovation, and purpose, while staying deeply human at its core.At JAMK University of Applied Sciences, he now focuses on AI, business, and international brand development, building on years of experience in creating digital learning environments.His work connects AI, XR, and emerging technologies with entrepreneurship, sustainability, and future skills. The goal is to support students, professionals, and companies in discovering new opportunities, experimenting boldly, and turning ideas into impact. 🚀He is grateful to collaborate with forward-looking colleagues and partners who continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Olga Kazarina is an award-winning EdTech Specialist, ISTE+ASCD Community Leader, and Google Certified Trainer, Coach, GEG Leader, AI Fellow, and Educator with over a decade of international experience.From beginning her journey as a classroom teacher in Chile to her current role as Customer Success Manager and Community Builder at Genially, Olga has been a passionate advocate for empowering educators across the world.Her expertise shines in:✨ Strategic & ethical integration of Generative AI✨ Building educator communities✨ Fostering computational thinking in young learnersA recipient of the ISTE 20 to Watch Award, Olga also played a key role in the Guinness World Records breaking Capacita+ Google Cloud AI event a testament to her global impact.

Joonas Nieminen is a Finnish filmmaker, visual storyteller, and entrepreneur based in Jyväskylä, Finland. With a lifelong passion for cameras and creative media, Joonas turned his early interest in video games and editing into a full-time career in visual content production.After starting out with video editing in his teens, he studied IT engineering before pivoting to the media industry, eventually earning a Bachelor of Culture and Arts. He has worked across a wide spectrum of visual media, from corporate videos and industrial shoots to weddings, events, motion graphics, and AI-assisted creative tools.Beyond production, he’s shared his expertise as a visiting lecturer at Helsinki Design School, and he continues to develop educational content and training around video production, photography, post-production, and creative uses of artificial intelligence.Whether filming on industrial production lines or capturing personal stories at weddings, Joonas brings curiosity, technical skill, and a relaxed energy to every project.Joonas has been part of many TV-production teams that are behind in award winning TV-shows like Grand Designs Suomi (Best Lifestyle TV-Program 2023, Kultainen Venla) and Yle MOT (Best News and Current Affairs Program in 2023, Kultainen Venla). Other TV-shows include Huutokauppakeisari, Maajussille Morsian and many more

Tim Needles is an artist, educator, performer, and author of STEAM Power: Infusing Art Into Your STEM Curriculum. Tim is a TEDx speaker, technology integration specialist, and teaches art, film, and emerging media at Smithtown School District and Five Towns College.His incredible work has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, and exhibited at renowned museums including the Columbus Museum of Art, Norman Rockwell Museum, Alexandria Museum of Art, Katonah Museum of Art, and Cape Cod Museum of Art.Tim’s accolades include:🏆 ISTE’s Technology in Action Award & Creativity Award🏆 NAEA’s Eastern Region Art Educator Award & ArtEdTech Outstanding Teaching Award🏆 The Rauschenberg Power of Art AwardHe also serves as a board member of NYSCATE and NYSATA, and is a National Geographic Certified Teacher, NASA Solar System Ambassador, Adobe Creative Educator, and much more!

Tuomas has spent nearly 15 years helping shape the Finnish game industry, particularly in Central Finland, where he has worked to build a connected and ambitious developer community. He currently wears several hats: Co-Founder and Projects Director at Expa Game Business Cooperative, Game Ecosystem Project Manager at the University of Jyväskylä, and CEO and Co-Founder of Add Inspiration, his own game studio. He is also pursuing an MBA in Game Business Management.His work centers on entrepreneurship, ecosystem development, and supporting game companies at every stage. He co-founded the Digi & Game Center, an award-winning 1000m² co-working and ecosystem hub launched in 2020. He also helps organize XmasJKL, one of Finland’s long-standing game business seminars.Over the years, he has mentored indie teams, coached startups now valued at nearly €50M, and played a key role in building Finland’s first — and the world’s northernmost — Epic Games Unreal Authorized Training Center through Expa. He has secured public and EU funding for several industry projects and has volunteered with IGDA Finland, Neogames, and The Finnish Game Developers’ Association.Tuomas is at his best when he’s building something new, connecting people, and helping game studios grow — whether through hands-on coaching, infrastructure development, or community-building. With more than 100 industry events behind him and both his Bachelor’s and Master’s work focused on the Finnish game sector, this field is more than a career for him. It’s where he thrives.