The Near Eastern Studies classes I took in Cornell have always kept me one step ahead in the sector (both business world and in my studies), and I owe so much to the department for where I am in my career. After Cornell, I continued my Master's in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard (2012). As soon as I graduated I decided to take a break and go back to Turkey and work, my initial plan was to stay 2 years tops and start my PhD but it took a little longer than that. I worked in a boutique consultancy firm as a private political and economic consultant for global companies operating in Turkey. A couple years ago I finally decided it was time to go back to academia. I am just finishing the first year of my PhD, specializing on radicalization and recruitment of females and children, with Dr. Mia Bloom (who also has worked at Cornell) and Dr. Carol Winkler at Georgia State University as a President Fellow in the 2CI Transcultural Conflict and Violence Institute.
