Personal Statement
I am living in one of the most violent cities in Turkey: Adana. The city is known for the criminals who shoot bullets at the sun, and the streets are filled with dwellers who have at least one criminal record. The city is ranked 5th for illegal drug consumption in the world. However; within this level of violence, chaos, and darkness; a small amount of daylight, a tradition remains: Kebap. Kebap is known well in a lot of countries. Its original land is actually Adana, my beloved city. Kebap has various ingredients which thoroughly describe the city itself and also myself. I am also multifaceted like a kebab; I am a multicultural engineer, a musician, and an athlete. The racial, cultural, and traditional diversity of Adana and I can be inferred by the interpretation of the one and only “Kebap”...
Adana consists of different regions that include different cultures, races, and traditions. There are two major parts: the Turkish area that I live in and the partially Turkish regions where I’m originally from consisting of both Arabs and Kurds. They both have their dangerous and clean streets. These two partially Turkish regions are separated by a wall that would remind you of Berlin, with huge barbed wires on top. My mom has lived in the Turkish region but she is originally Arabic. My dad was born and raised in the Arabic region. This allowed me to observe both cultures and contributed to my development. I learned how they live their lives in starkly different situations.
For instance, my life experience has been of an Arab and a Turk. I’m a Turk when I am at home listening to music, playing instruments, doing sports, spending quality time with my friends and parents, and studying. On the other hand, I become Arab when I am with my relatives. We get up early and have breakfast with various kinds of food, from cream to the liver. We pick some fruits and vegetables from the garden, do some knitting, and make traditional foods over and over. One of them is my favorite - kebap
My interest in physics and engineering started through these experiences. I became aware of my interest in the field of engineering while doing household activities. I would create practical masterpieces repairing electronic stuff for my grandma. I learned old traditional techniques for making life easier; like using a force pump to obtain clean water from a water well. Subsequently, in the middle school science fair I enhanced my skills in engineering by building an infinitely turning magnetic hand spinner and put myself on this journey of building machines.
Besides my academic career, sports and music have always been the most important part of my life since mid-high school. I see myself like the traditional meal kebab because of this complicated lifestyle. But what do I mean by sports and music?
I have been playing the piano since I was three years old. At the same time, I played the drums, acoustic, and bass guitars. My self-thought talent and hard work in this field led me to perform in various concerts and attend our high school’s rock band as a lead male singer/keyboard player.
Besides my musical ventures, I have been playing basketball since I was 6 years old. It quickly became the priority of my life. I worked really hard and tried to obtain the skill level which can lead me to the top.
Currently, I am trying to eat the fruit of my labor and achieve the privilege of studying abroad. Schools in the United States offer a lot of opportunities in the fields that I am interested in; engineering, basketball, and music. These opportunities will help me become the best of myself. When I have the access to these resources, nothing can stand in my way to become as successful and famous as “Kebap”...
