Since my early teenage years, I have had a keen interest in understanding poverty and world development. I’d always wanted to study an interdisciplinary subject, which provided real-world learning, and I think, I could not have made a better choice than to study economics. Based on an outstanding high school transcript and great results in the university entrance examinations, many universities accepted me to their undergraduate programs. I decided to accept a full scholarship offer from the Izmir University of Economics. Honestly, I did not know much about IEU at that time. I only knew that Izmir was a beautiful city; Turkey was close to home, so I could visit during the holidays, and most importantly classes were taught in English, so I could start studying right away. I got lucky it turned out to be a good choice. IEU provided me with many opportunities that I am thankful for. I learned Turkish and French, I pursued a second major and received a degree in Public Relations and Advertising, I participated in the Erasmus Exchange program and studied in Strasbourg, France for a semester, I interned at Hayes Lemmerz Inci and most importantly, I received a quality education. I am thankful for all my professors at IEU. They assigned us many interesting projects, taught us different software programs, and were always available and willing to help. With their support, I was able to pursue my education. For my graduate studies, I got accepted to a few schools, including the University of Mannheim and Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, but I continued my education in the US and earned my M.A. degree from the University of Denver, which offered me a full scholarship and teaching assistantship position. I also worked at Arrow Electronics, helping the IBM Software sales team, and at the Colorado Department of Transportation. Currently, I am a third-year Ph.D. student at Colorado State University.  Life has given me amazing opportunities and experiences. A strong foundation and knowledge that I received in Turkey was a crucial driver of all my successes. I’ve been a student at many different institutions and countries, and without a doubt, some of my professors at IEU were exceptional and provided an outstanding, world-class education.