Emma Irene Åström

Emma Irene Åström (27 April 1847 – 3 July 1934) was a Finnish teacher and Finland's first female university graduate.

In 1853, the family moved to Åland, a Swedish-speaking region of Finland, where Emma Åström was raised to speak Swedish and attended a school in Finström.

Encouraged by Ernst Bonsdorff, the school's mathematics teacher, Åström decided to apply to a Finnish university.

Although Cygnaeus initially refused to support the idea, he arranged, through his colleague Cassie von Kothen, for Åström to study at the University of Helsinki.

[2] Although she aspired to return to university for further studies, she "abandon[ed] the thought" since she was obliged to support her family financially.