Two beers with Tuva Todnem Lund

Many may have seen her around campus and at Samfunnet before she suddenly disappeared from the classrooms and appeared on NRK and VG. Tuva Todnem Lund is an energetic ray of sunshine, who can also be charmingly chaotic. Tuntreet sat down for a chat with her, and it turns out that she has more to offer than a strict voice to authorities.

Journalist: Sunniva Steiro

Photographer: Margit Schrader Haugland

An atypical Ås personality

Many would categorize a typical Ås personality as an active participant in the Ås bubble, typically in 2 associations in addition to Samfunnet. Even with a 2-year KS position on her CV, Tuva breaks the norm—she has never been in an association. On the other hand, she has been involved in everything from Homework Help with the Red Cross to municipal politics, and she will soon wrap up one year as leader of the Norwegian Student Organization (NSO).

An active collective in Grisebingen

It all started when she came to Ås in 2016 after visiting several universities to be absolutely sure that this was the place for her. She had been to a party at Grisebingen—a student residence by E6—with a party and people in tents around the house, and that was when she thought "here is where I want to live". They became a close-knit group with a joint dinner every day and matching costumes at costume parties. She says that the collective gang is still so close that she is now the maid of honor to the partner of someone in the collective.

Everything is politics!

As a second-year, Tuva took up a few positions. One of the more important contributions she has made has been to introduce Tuesday refill events with the beer and politics bodega, where she hopes people can come to talk openly about what they care about. "Everything is politics!", she exclaims enthusiastically, and says that one of her greatest achievements has been encouraging active protests in the streets against the closure of the health station for the students at NMBU. In addition, she has been involved in moving "a lot of money" over the past year through negotiations of the state budget for the benefit of the students.

Cardigan and cow

The road to the leader of NSO was not completely planned for the girl from Horten, because she did not decide to run until the very last minute. The election campaign was also tough, as she came as an unknown challenger against two other experienced candidates from student democracy in Norway. She reminisces back to a time when she was portrayed as the girl in a cardigan with a cow because she was the challenger from Ås, and for her the Ås identity has always been important.

Less compassion?

Tuva's everyday life is filled with discussions and meetings with senior Norwegian politicians, being engaged in academia and messages on social media. She admits that she has not always been as tough as she appears now. When she started in NSO in the summer of 2021, she took a personality test where she scored quite normally on everything, but when she took the test again recently, her compassion score had dropped to abnormal values. She says that meeting other big and small politicians and experts has made her more hard-skinned, and that it is important to learn not to accept all the criticism that comes.

From shy to political challenger

In order not to be brushed aside by others during discussions, Tuva has had to learn techniques for asserting herself. This contrasts with her upbringing, and she remembers back in upper secondary school when she received a reduced grade in several subjects because she did not dare to raise her hand. "I remember it was really scary to talk," she says before talking about TV debates and interviews. What made her change in the beginning was that she strongly disagreed with the teachers, and could be defiant, even though she did not think it was always a good tactic.

Relaxation in nature

With an inbox full of messages from people with stories, praise, and criticism, it is important for Tuva to manage balancing her private life and work life, especially when she is available via her work phone around the clock. To remain down-to-earth, she enjoys going out on hammock trips and listening to podcasts. Growing up, she was actively involved in scouting, and the fascination with nature follows her into her role as a science teacher.

Thorough and consistent

Tuva has always been thorough and consistent in everything she does, especially major decisions. An example was when she had her Confirmation, and it was important for her not to follow the current blindly. She sought out everything from Jehovah's Witnesses to Buddhist monks, and her mother was at one point worried that Tuva would become too extreme in one direction or another. This has not been the case so far, because Tuva got confirmed in the Norwegian church and is involved in a bit of everything in everyday life.

A public role

When asked if she likes to be in the public eye, Tuva answers "not really, but also yes". She sees it as a necessity to be visible in order to get through issues in the position she holds, and she realizes that there is a lot of power in appearing in major media. Still, she looks forward to no longer being a public figure, and to being able to do and think everything on her own initiative.

Tuva's many faces

When you Google Tuva Todnem Lund, countless articles and press photos come up. Tuntreet has heard rumors that photographers like to have specific wishes for Tuva's poses, and there are always two regulars: cheerful Tuva and strict Tuva. She says that she usually asks for a regular picture where she just sits in the grass, but it is rarely included in the article. Tuntreet is thus on the case, and we have made sure to get three exclusive photos: happy-Tuva, strict-Tuva and Tuva in the grass.

The last year in Ås

This autumn, Tuva will be seen again in the lecture halls when she will wrap up her final year of the Associate Professor program. She is also looking forward to returning to party politics, which she has been neutral about in public while she has worked in NSO. Despite the fact that student democracy still engages her, she would like to have the seats in the Student Parliament reserved for new students, so that new voices and opinions can be accommodated. Her plan now is not to take on new positions, but she also says with a twinkle in her eye that maybe this is the time to finally try association life.

Active and chaotic

During the entire work period in NSO, Tuva has continued to live in Ås, and now a lively Grisebingen collective has been replaced by her little sister, Iben, and her parrot, Silly. She has also valued keeping her private life in Ås with friends and acquaintances, and getting involved with Samfunnet. Her sister is also active in democracy, and is good at challenging Tuva, both as a critical discussion partner and as a challenger to a somewhat chaotic life. Tuva says that she likes to fill up her days AM to PM with events and activities, but does not know how to get there until she is there.

The way forward

Tuva's life has thus not been a typical A4 life, but rather a life filled with spontaneous decisions that have led her to where she is today. She started as a shy girl from Horten, became a strong community speaker in Ås, and now the way forward is open. Tuva has no thoughts about planning for the future but would rather continue to see where life takes her with opportunities she can take when they arise.

Greetings to Tuva

Hey Tuva, hey Tuva, think how much quieter our lives would be without you?

We wouldn’t have someone who mismatched socks and who would come crashing in to our birthday breakfast!

We are eternally grateful to you for all the filth you have concocted, and may you finish your NSO time so that Ås can experience you fully and completely!

You make a big impression, and everyone is engaged by your presence.

I dig, dig you!

Regards Trygg +++

Wow! What a woman Tuva is. Such an active, skilled, and engaging person is one in a million. I have been so lucky to work closely with Tuva the last three years—first as a praxis partner, where we finished each other’s sentences during our sessions, and when we got thrown into digital praxis overnight because of COVID. Then, we spent the past two years as full-time student representatives together.

We have marched in torchlight processions, quarreled with people in positions of power, sung in the office, and even made many breakthroughs!

You are the perfect leader. You give room for people and opinions. You have the tenacity and the will to move mountains.

Thank you so much for everything you are and everything you do!

Tuva continues to inspire me every day and has taught me that we must take active steps for society to develop. Doing nothing is an active choice just like anything else.

Ducklings go the distance! Many hugs from Magnus <3

Tuva is a firework of a human being juggling many balls in the air, and after living in a collective with Tuva, not much surprises us anymore! The latest surprise was when we discovered that she had a parakeet as a pet in her room. It is also not surprising when she sends the wrong phone number to Tuntreet or invites almost 100 people to a Halloween party in the collective. But it all works out in the end. Because if there is one person who can fix things, even in chaos, it is Tuva.

It is easy for Tuva to be engaged in things, whether it is politics, bees, Thorvald and Tora or who will give the speeches at the May 17th breakfast. We have always wondered how she has managed to be involved with so many things at the same time, but we are pretty sure that she can keep going for a long time on Pepsi Max and ice cream.

Even with many balls in the air, and chaos in life, Tuva usually manages to squeeze in time for her collective friends, even on a weekday when the calendar is packed—whether it's driving through half of Norway to live out your inner Trønder, going for a walk with the loan dog Billie, or drinking coffee in the park by the town hall.

Thank you for being you, we love you!

Greetings from everyone in Grisebingen!

Hilsen alle i Grisebingen!