I graduated from New York University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and Global Liberal Studies. I also minored in Peace and Conflict Studies. During my time as an undergraduate, I interned at CNN, Annie Leibovitz Studios and National Geographic. I was an editor at my school newspaper, Washington Square News, and held different leadership positions in my program.
Inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s ability to look at history and politics through the lens of food, I wrote my thesis, Food, Culture and Immigration: The Turkish Immigrant Experience as Told by Restaurant Owners In London and New York which attempted to showcase the emergence of Turkish cuisine, its presence in New York and London and the experiences of Turkish immigrants who brought the food to these two global cities. The key argument of the thesis was that food is mainly a geographical occurrence that gets injected into culture, nationality and politics. With the Deans Global Research Grant, I was able to shoot a short documentary about the Turkish immigrant restaurant owners I interviewed and travel to London.
After graduating ( and the beginning of the pandemic) I deferred my acceptance to this program and worked at Ashoka, an NGO that supports systems change and changemakers. I additionally started a Turkish newsletter / magazine called 20’lik.
During my master’s degree I focused on cultural history, food politics, climate and immigration, and historical storytelling. My dissertation was on the Abadan Oil refinery and British Paternalism between 1945 -1951. The main argument was that the framing of oil production in Abadan as a developmental project where both sides would win played into the story of the Romance of Oil, which in its nature was a tale as old as time: an Imperial power coming to a region and utilising its political and economic influence and hegemony to extract resources.
After graduating from the program, I freelanced as a journalist and became the Head of Digital of Cosmopolitan Turkey, developing the magazines general tone of voice, editorial stance as well as writing its cross-channel digital and content strategy. After 1,5 years at Cosmo, I decided to shift gears and pursue one of my dream jobs. I will be starting at World Central Kitchen as a Distribution Manager in December, 2025.
