While you can see all my professional details on my resume and LinkedIn, I’d like to share a bit of my personal journey with you.

I was born and raised in Izmir, a beautiful coastal city in Türkiye. I moved around the country very often because of my father’s job. This allowed me to meet many different people and experience the distinction of cultures even in the same country.

Growing up with an engineer dad and an artist mom, I was lucky to be encouraged to explore both logic and creativity.

I went to an amazing high school: Robert College in Istanbul, where I met talented and curious peers, and inspiring teachers. I was an actor in RC Theatre Company for four years, member and president of the astronomy club for five years, and had leadership positions in RC Makers and RC mun.

I was fortunate to be invited to an NGO aiming to empower Turkish women when femicides rates were rapidly increasing in Turkey. Strong women mentored me, and I even had the chance to speak at many protests. I volunteered at various organizations along the way and learnt that even the biggest changes in the world started with one person.

I’ve hiked the seven tallest mountains in Türkiye and always loved being outdoors. I hope to do the 14-peak-challenge in the future.

I struggled with my mental health along the way, and didn’t find the support I needed. Mental health has always been a taboo subject in came with many stigmas in my country and I realized that many young people, including myself, were suffering because of the lack of access to mental healthcare.

Now, I’m grateful to be a student and researcher at the University of Toronto where I’m focused on leveraging technology to make mental healthcare more accessible and personal.