After graduating from Izmir University of Economics (IUE), Müge Güvensal, who decided to live in England where she went for her master's degree and founded a travel company here, brought together all the places and memories she traveled in 12 countries in a book. Stating that she accomplished successful studies about Europe at the university and that the two foreign languages she learned opened new doors for her, Güvensal took a completely different path in her life by carrying her passion for travel to business in England. Güvensal said, “When I chose to be a tourism professional in England, people were surprised. I made this decision by listening to my heart. I successfully represented my country in England. I have traveled to 23 countries so far. In my book titled ‘Gezi Notları’ (Travel Notes), which I published this year, I included my impressions in 12 countries. My book, which is first put on sale digitally due to the pandemic, attracts great attention.”
By establishing a company called QReal in New York and applying "3D and augmented reality" technology to different sectors such as e-commerce, fashion, and food, Alper Güler and Caner Soyer, entrepreneurs from Izmir, have developed projects for 100 world-famous brands in 5 years, causing international companies seeking interest in Izmir. The United States (USA)-based Glimpse Group, which makes investments for the development of augmented reality and virtual reality content, started R&D studies in Izmir Bilimpark (science park) by establishing a team of 10 under the leadership of Güler and Soyer. Güler and Soyer, who have had the opportunity to work with many important brands such as Google, Sony, and Hyundai so far, said, “We want to create opportunities for new graduates in our country and contribute to the creation of new success stories.”
After graduating from university, Dilara Aldemir(27), who refused job offers and went to live with her musician brother in America, started her career as a waitress in New York, then returned to Izmir and started her business. Dilara Aldemir, a graduate of Izmir University of Economics (IUE), who developed herself and learned the details of the business while she was working, opened the branch of the foreign based "Good for You" brand in Alsancak. Stating that she dreamed of having her own business since her youth, Aldemir said, “When I said that I would open a coffee shop during the pandemic period, there were those who said, "It is too risky to start a business in the pandemic, are you crazy?" But thinking that waiting would disadvantage me, I wanted to start work as soon as possible. I am very happy in my little coffee shop; I think I made the right decision.”
Çağıl Saydam and Begüm Aksoy, graduates of Department of Cinema and Digital Media, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), collected awards at the "Rofife International Rotary Short Film Festival" held for the 13th time this year. Saydam ranked second in the experimental category with her “61 Sokak No 4” (61st Street No.4) titled film based on the dialogues of a woman living alone at home. Aksoy, on the other hand, ranked second in the documentary category with her “Smirna’nın Çukuru” (Smyrna’s Pit) titled work in which she describes the Basmane region on the land known as the "Basmane pit". Aksoy and Saydam, whose films were chosen among hundreds of films, and brought awards to Izmir, said, “Winning an award is very important, but we must sustain this achievement. We know that for this, we need to work harder and make a great effort. We started preparations for new projects.”
Graduates of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) have become the favorite of companies abroad by highlighting their academic achievements in business life, proving once again that women overcome all kinds of difficulties. Success stories of IUE graduates that started in Izmir continued with senior positions in different countries such as America, Australia, Norway and Kuwait, and became a source of inspiration and energy for young people. Damla Eytemiz Gibson, Ece Sağlam, Hande Arı, Sinem Çelik and Özgül Akcan, working in different sectors such as retail, logistics, maritime and construction, were selected among thousands of people around the world and represented Turkish women duly.
With the pandemic, Dilara Karaca, a fashion designer from Izmir University of Economics, created her own brand by turning the intense demand, for clothing made of natural fabrics, used for multipurpose and bring health rather than aesthetics to the fore, into an opportunity. Karaca, who started the "healthy fashion" era by creating sweat-free, ecological and recyclable designs, put the products of her brand called "in d’tales" for online sale. Karaca, who designs special, functional products such as pants with removable hems, jackets that can be worn both ways and sleeveless said, “Since I was a kid, I was interested in design and dreamed of creating my own brand one day. I did not want the pandemic to interfere with this dream and I brought my brand to life by considering the needs of people. I am very pleased with the attention.”
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.”
