About Me

Never say never! At the age of 14, when you asked me or my parents, whether or not I could be on my own and be abroad at the age of 18, I could definitely scream with fear and cowardice:“I truly can not do it! ”

Thus, here I am, a middle-aged grown up woman, a business person, a lawyer, and the most I like of my titles“an educational consultant” who is devoted to be of service to young generation and help them out with my past experiences and knowledge.

Not to bore you much with a classic “about me” structure, I want to give some highlights of my life;

Born to loving young parents as a first child
Have always been passionate of learning so forced my parents to put me in first grade way earlier than my classmates
Have been rushed and ran for Turkish National Secondary School Exams at the age of 10
Had an exclusive privileged education for which I realized the importance when having encountered people in different environments later on in my life especially professional one

And the turning point of my life was my AFS exchange year which I became qualified after passing its written and oral exam.

All my passion along my blossoming of my artistic abilities found the scene with a jewelry class I took, a musical I danced in, school newspaper I contributed.

Then, I felt like I could go over the clouds... My USA adventure just started. I wanted to continue my college education there, where I really found myself and became independent.

And life went on. A business degree from University of Maryland College Park was undeniable.

Furthermore, career steps started. Corporate firms were my target. I insanely looked for positions within US. in big corporations. Then, I started my career in Dubai, UAE; at a time in 2001 when no one at all heard of Dubai as an expat market... Even my father reacted:

“As a young woman, how are you going to be able to survive in an Eastern Country!” But I did go and enjoyed every bit of living there.

Moreover, Enka Bechtel Joint Venture made me an offer and my Istanbul then Rotterdam career followed.

Likewise, my father’s partnered packaging business grew in the meantime and I was needed for exports thanks to my language skills and logistics background. Our first export started with our neighboring country firm; a Greek firm... And in 2011, I was able to find the deal to help out the exit of my father with a sale to a private fund. Therefore, I have quite experience and skills in different fields of business organization.

My passion to create and start from scratch never stopped and I started an e-commerce personalized gift website businessin 2008, hediyeyarat.com, before the internet boom of Turkey, even of USA.

We were even an Endeavor Entrepreneur candidate in 2010, but later, due to particular reasons,

I left the company and we sold it to a friend in 2014.

I then pursued a degree that I frozed and never went after high school!

I pursued law degree. It is like “a gold bracelet on your wrist”, a Turkish saying for this degree made me complete it at Galatasaray University.

It was not easy at all but I endured, enjoyed and never gave up.

Hence, my educational consultancy passion that never stopped took on and I completed UCLA College Counseling Program with distinction end of 2021.

My experiences in this field followed up with my practicum with an Independent Accredited Counselor based in USA and Turkey at the same time, followed by my best experience at Pembroke Hill School College Counseling Team in Kansas City MO, when I returned back to my AFS town after whole 26 long years...

Afterwards, I became a college counselor at Bahcesehir College Global Education Center, in charge of 24 STEM High Schools, guiding brilliant students. However, I wished to have a more direct impact and touch on students, maybe fewer but as a whole. I wanted to read their essays, personal statements, motivational letters and made them bloom like a squash blossom; have more time to listen to them and share their enthusiasm.

In short, I am becoming every day a full human being with each occurrence I cherish. I love what I do; I try to improve myself in every step I take.

Also, I do not stop getting education; I am planning to take courses online, on Educational Psychology, my passionate interest area at Columbia University Teacher’s College.

Meanwhile, I keep doing what I like to do, such as singing, dancing, being a mom of adorable kids, a wife of best doctor husband.

My aim is to determine my students’ potential, desire, and most importantly talent. Every person has a talent, and once you figure it out and pursue your talent, you are the most fortunate.

Final quote:

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” Gandhi