The scholarship program aims to support outstanding SSE students and give them the opportunity to create and realize innovative projects abroad according to their own design. The purpose of the scholarship is to offer experience and personal development outside of the academic realm that benefit the students’ education and professional aspirations. This year, the Gun and Einar Larsson Foundation celebrates 25 years. Since its inception in 1999, the SSE President has awarded scholarships to 41 students from the Stockholm School of Economics. 

Shalini Jha and Joseph Hao have been awarded the Gun and Einar Larsson’s 25th Year Jubilee Scholarship 2024 (GELS) for their project Fashion Forward: Reimagining Fashion Through Circularity. Viktor Svensson and Eric Oetterli have been awarded the Gun and Einar Larsson’s 25th Year Jubilee Scholarship 2024 (GELS) for their project Financial Inclusion Amongst Bolivia’s Youth to Increase Financial Literacy, respectively.

“With their passion, ambition, and great drive, Shalini, Joseph, Victor, and Eric have demonstrated the qualities that characterize SSE students with great future potential. Their strong characters in combination with clear and feasible project ideas, made them stand out in the competition. Their self-designed projects provide great potential for growing and developing the qualities and skills required to create a way forward in today's global society” says SSE President Lars Strannegård.

Fashion Forward: Reimagining Fashion Through Circularity

The aim of the Fashion Forward project is to construct a transformative bridge that extends from the theoretical frameworks of sustainability taught at the Stockholm School of Economics to the tangible realms within the fast fashion industry—a sector poised for substantial innovation. Shalini Jha and Joseph Hao are driven by the ambition to thoroughly explore and adopt the advanced circular fashion techniques practiced in the United States, a nation recognized for its progress in sustainable fashion, and transfer these valuable insights to the receptive Swedish market.

“Our GELS scholarship application is fueled by a collective dedication to sustainability and the innovative redefinition of waste as a valuable resource. Our diverse experiences and backgrounds converge on a shared vision to harness the scholarship in developing a circular economy project within the fashion industry. Embarking on this project presents a unique opportunity to acquire a rich tapestry of personal skills and experiences that are tailored to our vision of driving sustainable change within the fashion industry,” Shalini Jha and Joseph Hao explain.

Financial Inclusion Amongst Bolivia’s Youth to Increase Financial Literacy

The initiative aims to increase financial literacy among the youth of Bolivia, leveraging the vibrant energy of its predominantly young population. Viktor Svensson and Eric Oetterli propose an engaging and interactive workshop series across Bolivia's three largest cities—La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba—to foster essential financial skills such as budgeting, savings, investments, and understanding the dynamics of financial markets in a very practical manner, tailored to the unique cultural setting of Bolivia. The project will culminate in city-wide competitions, embracing the students' newfound knowledge and creating a community-driven push for ongoing financial education. Most importantly, the project aims to deliver immediate value during the students’ visit but also a long-term foundation for promoting financial inclusion among the youth of Bolivia in the future.

“We both share a profound interest in finance, especially for personal finance and financial inclusion. We have delved deeper into research and discussions connected to economies where the level of financial literacy is low. Bolivia has often been mentioned, amongst others, as a functioning state with a lot of natural resources but with one of the lowest levels of financial literacy in the world. Our goal with this project is not only to reach the largest possible audience, but to coordinate our efforts with relevant NGOs and locals that are already fighting for the same cause to ensure that the effects last longer,” Viktor Svensson and Eric Oetterli say.

For more information, please contact:

GELS scholars 2024
Shalini Jha
Email: 25618@student.hhs.se
Joseph Hao
Email: 25492@student.hhs.se
Victor Svensson
Email: 50776@student.hhs.se
Eric Oetterli
Email: 50787@student.hhs.se

About the Stockholm School of Economics

The Stockholm School of Economics is rated as a top business school in the Nordic and Baltic countries and enjoys a strong international reputation. World-class research forms the foundation of our educational offering, which includes bachelor, master, PhD, MBA, and Executive Education programs. Our programs are developed in close cooperation with the business and research communities, providing graduates substantial potential to attain leading positions in companies and other organizations. 

The School is accredited by EQUIS, certifying that all of its principal activities – teaching as well as research – maintain the highest international standards. The Stockholm School of Economics is also the only Swedish member institution of CEMS and PIM, which are collaborations between top business schools worldwide, contributing to the level of quality for which our school is known. 

Press contact

Ylva Mossing
Content and Media Relations Manager
Email: ylva.mossing@hhs.se
Phone: +46 730 97 26 16

For more information about the Stockholm School of Economics, please visit hhs.se.