Graduates of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) make Turkey proud with their success in their career journeys. Hande Arı, who double majored in IUE Department of Business Administration and Department of Logistics Management, was selected as one of the 10 outstanding young people of Turkey by the International Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs Association (Junior Chamber International - JCI) Istanbul. Arı, who is deemed worthy of an award in the category of ‘personal success’, also ranked in Top 10 Women to Watch in Shipping, list for women under 40 years of age who have proven success internationally in maritime industry in Norway last year.
The "Smart Garden" project, carried out by Prof. Murat Aşkar, the Rector of Izmir University of Economics (IUE), and Graduate Student Mert Kalaycı in order to develop soilless agriculture, ranked second among 400 projects at the Entrepreneurship in Agriculture Contest organized by Türkiye İş Bankası. Noting that the efficiency is 3 times more than normal thanks to the LED lighting and hydroponics units developed using local and national software in the “Smart Garden” project, Prof. Aşkar said, “Seed production studies have been carried out on 96 different species so far using LED lights. Considering that drought and arable lands are expected to be exhausted around the world in the coming period, the project is of great importance for sustainability.”
In 2016, teaching at IUE Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Prof. Murat Aşkar initiated a joint graduation project on soilless agriculture with senior student Mert Kalaycı. Prof. Aşkar became the consultant of Kalaycı's undergraduate thesis about growing soilless plants in gardens, and the two continued their studies in the laboratory at the University.
Tuna Dabak, graduate of Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), combined his academic success with his talent in foreign languages and he succeeded in having two professions at the age of 27 as an engineer and a translator. Working in the software and product development department of a company in Istanbul, Dabak has provided translation support for the European matches of Beşiktaş and Başakşehir sports clubs with the Portuguese teams thanks to his good command of Spanish and Portuguese languages. Dabak, who also participated as a translator in the Survivor team, which was shot in Dominican Island, proved himself in both areas and quickly climbed the career ladder and wrote an exemplary success story.
Buse Deniz, graduate of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Physiotherapy Program, ranked 93rd in Turkey in the Vertical Transfer Exam (DGS) where about 389 thousand people entered this year in order to qualify to study at a four-year program. Stating that she did not like to study in high school and in the early years of the university, but she changed with the guidance of her academics, she started to focus on her classes and chose a completely different career goal for herself, Deniz said, “I knew I would be successful in the exam but achieving the degree was a great pleasure for me. I was excited, stared at the screen for a long time, experienced one of the most joyful moments of my life.”
Entrepreneurs from Izmir University of Economics, who adopt the understanding of quality and personalized service in the e-commerce sector and support domestic brands, bring the world's most prestigious international business awards to Izmir. The siblings, Esra and Melis Sarıhan, both graduates of Izmir University of Economics (IUE), were crowned with awards they received consecutively for the success of their e-commerce initiative named baskasindarama.com. Sarıhan siblings qualified to receive the USA based "Stevie International Business Awards" bronze award in the category of company of the year in small retail company, an award they also received last year.
Çağıl Saydam, who graduated from Department of Cinema and Digital Media, Izmir University of Economics (IUE) this year, came in first place at the 27th International Adana Altın Koza Film Festival with her “61 Sokak No 4” titled film based on the dialogues of a woman living alone at home. Competing in the "experimental" category in the National Student Films Competition held within the scope of the festival, Saydam was awarded the "Best Experimental Film" award for her film that she acted in and directed. As a result of the evaluation made by the jury consisting of screenwriter Banu Bozdemir, actor Baran Şükrü Babacan and director Can Evrenol, Saydam came in first place among the 5 films that made it to the finals. Saydam said, “I aim to improve myself in the film industry. The award I received gave me happiness and courage.”
After graduating from Izmir University of Economics (IUE), Okan Ataman, who went to Germany for a master's degree, took a completely different path in the restaurant where he started to work by washing vegetables and fruits to make use of his spare time. With the advantage of a foreign language he learned in the University, Ataman, who self-improved in a short period of time at the "Extrablatt" named restaurant in Siegen and became a chef assistant, returned to Turkey and decided to establish his business in the food area. During this time, Ataman, who also completed his master's degree in accounting, taxation and auditing, and speaks English and German, opened a small rice pilaf restaurant in Karşıyaka with the brand "Rice & Nice". Ataman, who serves a variety of rice pilaf such as with salmon, tenderloin, curry and currants, has succeeded in making a name for himself quickly. “We started selling rice pilaf to restaurants, gyms and business centers in Izmir by establishing a cold chain. Demand is very good, we sell about 450 kilos of rice pilaf, including sales at our restaurant, every month,” said Ataman.
Asena Tuğcu Altay, who developed her passion for design, which started by sewing clothes for barbie dolls when she was only 8 years old, developed her own brand in the field of home textiles and started to export her special designs about Izmir to all over the world. Altay, a graduate of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Department of Architecture, attracted attention with her work that add zest to home decor including bedspread to pillowcase design, and she managed to establish a production facility in Menderes in a short time. Stating that she sends the products she designs and produces to countries such as the United States of America (USA), Sweden, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates, Altay said, "The designs I have prepared inspired by the nature, sea and historical points of Izmir attract a lot of attention and are appreciated abroad".
Yağız Şenoğlu, student at Graphics Design Program, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), started to work at Leo AR, a company operating in the field of "augmented reality" in Silicon Valley in the USA, which is known as the technology center of the world. Şenoğlu, who has attracted the attention of the world-famous company with his graphic design works so far, achieved great success by getting into business life before he even graduated. In his new job he started online in Turkey, as well as graphic design, Şenoğlu also does video editing to be used in social media. Şenoğlu said, “Starting to work in such a well-known company made me proud and very happy. My goal is to develop myself quickly and build my own company.”
Onur Güzey, graduate of Department of Business Administration, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), established Turkey's first Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) approved finance portal and helped firms to find the source of about 50 million in a short time. The www.hamilinden.com, which enables SMEs, in addition to major companies, to meet their financial needs in the most accurate way, has reached 40 thousand users with its accounting integrations in the last year. The portal, which is the indispensable address of companies in many subjects including export finance, check, invoice assignment transactions and finding the most suitable loan for individuals and SMEs, has reached a valuation of 6 million dollars (42 million lira).
