Introducing the Honorary Consuls of Finland: Kathrin S. Mautino, San Diego

In this series, we highlight the important work done by our honorary consuls around the 13 states in the jurisdictional area of the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles. Immigration lawyer Dr. Kathrin S. Mautino has served as Finland’s Honorary Consul in San Diego for nearly 20 years. She knows that Southern California offers tremendous opportunities for Finnish companies that are willing to take on the challenge.

Honorary consul Dr. Kathrin S. Mautino in front of the House of Finland in San Diego.
Honorary Consul Dr. Kathrin S. Mautino in San Diego.

Education: Bachelor of Arts (major: Spanish Literature, minors: Mathematics, History of Philosophy), University of California, San Diego, 1985.

Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, University of San Diego School of Law, 1990.

Profession: Attorney specializing in United States immigration and nationality law.

Favorite thing about Finland: It is hard to pick one thing. Cloudberries, tango, and sauna are all things that I enjoy personally. I love to tell Americans about Kalevala and how its tales have influenced science fiction and fantasy in the English-speaking world. Overall, I love how Finland combines imagination and sisu to solve problems in a variety of fields, be it education, the environment, energy — really the list is endless!

Tell us about your background and life journey. What inspired you to become an immigration lawyer?

Well, my life journey also starts with one of my connections to Finland — I was born in Helsinki. My parents worked for the United States Department of State and my dad was assigned to the American Embassy. I’m dating myself, but this was the 1960s, and my parents were there through the Cuban Missile Crisis and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. They have some very interesting stories about those times.

My family moved to San Diego after my father left the Department of State. Our last posting was right across the international border in Tijuana, Mexico, and my parents liked the San Diego area. With a few detours for school and work, I have lived here ever since.

When I was in college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career. I decided to study things that I was interested in, so my major was Spanish Literature and I had two minors, one in mathematics and another in philosophy. I took a year off after graduation and travelled around Europe and the United States, waiting for inspiration to strike on what my career should be. I looked at teaching, library work, publicity, but nothing seemed like the right fit for me. I was staying with my parents for a few months when my dad asked me to come in and answer telephones while his receptionist was recovering from surgery. My dad had become an immigration lawyer after going to law school at night. He clearly enjoyed what he did — while I worked as his receptionist, I saw him joking with clients, laughing, and clearly having the time of his life. I decided that being a lawyer would be something that would keep me interested for the 20-30 years I expected to be working.

When I went to law school, I did not plan on being an immigration lawyer — I did very well in my tax law class and some others — but all of my work experience during vacations and part time during the year was in immigration, and I enjoyed that work a lot. After I graduated I won an internship at the immigration court in Los Angeles, and then I got a job working for a business immigration attorney. After a couple of years, I decided to join my dad’s law firm — and I have been doing all kinds of immigration law ever since. 

You have been the Honorary Consul of Finland in San Diego and the southern part of California for 20 years. What made you interested in becoming an Honorary Consul?

I was always interested in spreading the news about Finland to my classmates in school, and I took the opportunity to study and read about Finland as much as I could. In addition to being born in Helsinki, I have Swedish ancestors, one of whom was killed in the Russo-Swedish war of 1788 and is buried in Finland. My grandmother’s cousin was the pastor of Olaus Petri Church (the Swedish Lutheran Church in Helsinki) from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, and we would visit, call and write to him — he knew a lot about history, including Finnish-Swedish history. My parents made sure that I visited Finland a couple of times when I was growing up, so that I knew where I came from.

As to how I became interested in being Honorary Consul — well, I was very interested, but I didn’t think that I had a chance.  When Bert Salonen, the previous Honorary Consul, was ready to retire, he called and asked if he could put in my name for consideration as his replacement. He made clear that he was giving several names to the Consul General, who would interview us and make her decision. I was deeply honored that Bert would think enough of me to put in my name for consideration. I almost dropped the telephone when Maria Serenius, the Consul General at the time, called and offered me the position. 

What are your duties as an Honorary Consul?

The duties can vary quite a bit. At least a few times a week, I answer questions about practical matters, such as how to get a visa to visit Finland, how to apply for a Finnish passport and similar items. Given my expertise in immigration law, I also get questions about how to navigate the American immigration system. I regularly meet some of the local Finnish-American organizations to see what their needs are and where I can be of help — I see my job as finding connections for what people need or want to do. I’ve organized tours of the US-Mexico border for visiting Finnish officials and helped find venues for Finnish performers. I’ve provided commentary on Finnish movies, and written and spoken about Finland to local groups, including to various local government panels. I’ve talked to reporters about Finland. Of course, I help out in emergencies — over the years, I’ve seen everything from individuals evacuated due to wildfires to Finns who traveled to Mexico and lost their passports. I see my role as both helping Finnish citizens and bringing Finland to the attention of the local non-Finnish community, and my duties reflect that. What I do at any point in time depends on the opportunities and needs that arise.

What kind of potential does San Diego offer for Finnish businesses? What advice would you give to Finnish companies planning to enter Southern California?

San Diego has a lot of new and existing industries that provide potential for Finnish business collaboration and innovation. San Diego has three major universities that are researching everything from treatments for Alzheimer’s disease to extending the life of lithium batteries and recycling them when the battery can no longer hold a charge —developing the circular economy, in other words. Green technologies are big, as California in general and Southern California in particular are looking to reduce and eliminate carbon emissions. For example, the Port of San Diego is looking for green technologies to reduce not only their carbon footprint, but also the health impact on the surrounding community.  Several cities in the area have pledged to use 100 % renewable energy within the next 15-25 years. Life and health sciences are also big, and we have major research institutions and companies. Robotics and engineering are important, as is development of drones and other small flight technologies. Outdoor industries, including sports equipment and adventure activities are important too. There’s a United States Olympic training center. San Diego is also a center of artistic and gaming innovation, with world-class art museums, Comic-Con, theatres and the like. San Diego is a defense industry hub, with multiple military bases in the area. The film and entertainment industry is small but growing here as well.

Businesses looking to come to Southern California should plan ahead. The Finnish government has several resources available, but also consider local resources like Chambers of Commerce — the consulates can point businesses to local resources if they have trouble finding them. Do your research on potential customers or collaborators and have a plan on how to sell your product or idea. Understand that in most cases, it will take more than 90 days to set up a company, so plan on what kind of long-term visa you will need or what local caretaker employees you will have. Make sure you know if there are any special licensing or regulatory requirements for your industry. Also understand that Southern California is a big area — consider where your customers are and how far away is reasonable for you to be in light of travel conditions.   

In your estimation, how many Finns are living in San Diego? What kind of presence does Finland have in San Diego and the southern part of California?

In 2000, the United States Census estimated that there were about 5,000 Finns or individuals of Finnish descent in San Diego County. Since that time, the number has increased, but I do not know by how much. My best guess would be between 7,000 and 10,000 individuals. Most people are surprised when I give this number, but I think it is true. I am constantly running into people I call “hidden Finns”— these are people who don’t talk about their connections to Finland until the topic comes up. My auto mechanic told me one day that his grandmother was Finnish; another time, the department head at a college where I taught a class told me that her parents had immigrated from Finland.

There are Finns living in other parts of Southern California, including Palm Springs and Temecula in Riverside County. Palm Springs has an international movie festival that frequently features Finnish movies and sponsors directors and others to come and speak about their work.

Certainly, there are not as many Finns per square mile as there are in other parts of the country, such as Seattle or the upper peninsula of Michigan. But the community that is here is strong. There has been an active Finnish community in San Diego since at least the 1930s — one of its first organized events was a fundraiser for relief aid to help Finland during the Winter War. That group went on to form the House of Finland, which became part of the Finlandia Foundation a few years ago.   

What could America learn from Finland and vice versa?

Americans do not have a long memory for historic events and tend to forget the lessons learned — which is not a problem with Finns. No one in the Finnish community had to talk about the parallels between the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the Winter War — the memory was right there in the back of everyone’s head. Americans also tend to take the immediate view — what needs to be done now to fix this problem for today — instead of thinking more long-term — how do we set ourselves up so we don’t have the problem to begin with. Finland in general is better at considering not only where things are going now but also thinking about where are things are likely to go in the future.

On the other hand, Finland could learn a bit more about trying new things and risk taking.  America is a hub of innovation because it encourages individuals and companies to try new things. Most innovators fail the first couple of times they try to build a business around their innovation but quite often succeed. 

What do you love to tell Americans about Finland?

I love to point out that Finland and Finns have been part of the fabric of the United States since before the country was founded. The colony of New Sweden, which is now the state of New Jersey, was populated with Finns — they were the forest people, who knew how to clear the land and build log cabins. New research shows that one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was descended from Finns. Finnish Americans have participated in the political life of the United States all along, ranging from Communists who led labor protests to conservative Ronald Reagan Republicans.

Finns have been on the West Coast for centuries, too—there is a wonderful story about a Finnish immigrant who served in the U.S. Life Saving Service near Point Reyes California—he and his team would row out to sinking ships to rescue the sailors and passengers. This was in the 1890s. I like to say that California is for adventurers. 

In 2012, you became a Knight, First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland. The decorations of the Order of the Lion of Finland are conferred upon citizens and foreign nationals who have distinguished themselves in the service of Finland. What did it mean to you to be awarded with the Order of the Lion of Finland?

I was deeply and truly honored. I cannot think of any award I have received that has meant more to me.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, I loved to dance, especially the classics like waltz and tango.  I used to go to ballroom competitions until my partner decided to move to Florida about 12 years ago. Hopefully I can get back to dancing soon!

I also like to hike and explore Yellowstone National Park, where I worked during the summers in college. Exploring Southern California is also a passion — most people are not aware of how diverse the climate can be. Depending on the season, you can go from snow in the mountains, to hot springs in the desert to surfing at the beach in the same day.

When at home, I like to read and also learn different crafting skills. I have studied weaving, cooking, counted-cross stitch, native American beading techniques — whatever strikes my interest. I also spend time in my garden, growing mostly flowers and herbs, but also blueberries, strawberries, and pomegranates. I’m also planting native milkweed to help the Monarch butterflies. My sauna is in the garden, and it is nice to cool down and watch butterflies and other wildlife.

Honorary consulates

The honorary consulates augment Finland’s network of diplomatic missions, made up of embassies, consulate generals, consulates and other liaison offices. An honorary consulate is headed by an honorary consul. Honorary consuls are private individuals who take care of their tasks on a part-time basis without remuneration. Read more about all of our honorary consulates here: https://finlandabroad.fi/web/usa/honorary-consulates