BABA—HOPE YOU ARE HAVING YOUR BEAUTIFUL SMILE ON YOUR FACE NOW!!!

BABA—HOPE YOU ARE HAVING YOUR BEAUTIFUL SMILE ON YOUR FACE NOW!!!

I moved to Columbia, MD and joined the Life Design Lab team on August 15th, 2022 ---only 5 days after I resigned from my previous role.

Right after we moved into our apartment, my parents came to visit with us from Turkey. They stayed with us from September to January. Some of my LinkedIn connections met/knew my father who always encouraged me and motivated me to do my best. So, literally every single day, he was constantly asking me “you were talking about a project for international students—what happened to it?” I am like—baba—I am working on it! Days, weeks, and months! The question was asked over and over again! Then, the team was able to organize the first event -Amplifying Global Employability: International Student Edition in November 2022. A three-hour event, 6 subject matter experts, 2 workshops, and 1 panel and we had about 80 participants! Right after the event, I started thinking about the next event—what we will do in Spring 2023. I wanted to do something more comprehensive and holistic.

The idea was kind of there, so I proposed it to a team of colleagues, and we started reaching out to potential speakers. I was excited because we wanted to have all the sessions/topics that international students need for their career exploration journey—so we were thinking BIG! Once again, my father was asking all those questions!! I remember as of today, I was telling my father how it would be so AWESOME to have an exceptional keynote speaker someone like Dr. Aziz Sancar who moved to the US from Turkey to get his education and then built a successful career in the US. But that is not it—as an immigrant who is coming from a super small village with low SES he won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Aziz Sancar, M.D., Ph.D. | Biochemistry and Biophysics (unc.edu) OR someone like Hamdi Ulukaya (1) Hamdi Ulukaya | LinkedIn who is challenging the norms/industry by being a true leader who actually made his employees the shareholders of his company (employees are the owners—is not that so awesome?) and more so how a busy CEO could actually invest great amount of his time for charity and huge advocacy for the immigrants and refugees. So, he is not just the king of yogurt making! He is the founder of Chobani! My father did not stop—could not stop asking me if I reached out to them already? I was like—baba--they must be the busiest people in the world!

My last conversation with my father was only a night before his passing on January 30th, 2023. I am sure you already know what he asked again “Did you talk to your team? Are you getting any of those two to be the keynote speaker?” I went to Turkey for his funeral and came back in 2 weeks and started working with the team for this project with barely a break. Unfortunately, he could not see that the team was able to execute the idea and made the Inaugural International Career Summit became to a reality! Baba—I promise that the next time we will have an inspiring keynote speaker to kick of the Summit! I hope now YOU are having your beautiful smile on your face in heaven!

The Inaugural International Career Summit April 10-14th, 2023

·??????1000 Tickets-SOLD OUT!

·??????32 Speakers (28 are former international students who represented 15 countries)

·??????5 days--20 hours--20 sessions

·???????703 Zoom Room entries and 126 Lobby streamlined entries were recorded!

Thank YOU to all the wonderful speakers/panelists, colleagues, and all the participants!