To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives.
Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Yasemin Birben.
Yasemin Birben has been a member of the Sabancı University family since 1 October 1999. Yasemin Birben, who has worked at Sabancı University for 21 years, worked in the University Services, Purchasing and Support Services, and Information Center units as a Communications Officer.
Yasemin Birben’s answers to our four questions are below.
What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?
Y.B: My first meeting with Sabancı University was thanks to my dear friend Yonca Kalkan from my previous job, who had just started working at the university. At that time, I had to work late at an institution where I managed advertising and public relations, and I wanted to spend more time with my son. Yonca told me that there was a department that is just being established at Sabancı University; she said, “Come and talk to them if you want.” It turned out to be a life-long commitment.
I remember when I arrived at the campus under construction in September 1999 for a job interview with my white suits, I was jumping right and left to avoid stepping on the fresh tar on the road. It did not take long for us to meet with Mr. (Şükrü) Dökücü, who I will always remember with respect; when he learned that I was a graduate of Kandilli Girls High School, he said, “The location of that high school is very beautiful, we wanted to build the campus there, but we could not make it happen.”
Soon after I started working, there was a university opening ceremony, and despite the rain, it went very well. After the speeches were over, our esteemed founder Sakıp Sabancı took the President of the time Süleyman Demirel under his umbrella and started walking arm in arm with him. I was standing by the lath on the puddle, and they were coming towards me because that was the only point they could pass. I was so excited, I immediately went for the professional camera around my neck, two bright faces under the same umbrella looked at me and smiled, and I pressed the shutter button... Unfortunately, my camera jammed for the first time, and I could not take that picture. After all, it is not on film, but a photo copied into my memory; I cannot possibly forget that memory for the rest of my life.
What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?
Y.B: In the initial years I started working at Sabancı University, as I do now, I did every job like my own, taking very serious responsibility; it must have been because I worked as the owner of my own business for many years in the past, this has never changed.
During this time, I have known many beautiful people. If I wanted to express my gratitude to each of them here, the pages would not be enough. I have also had the opportunity to improve myself; as a person hungry to learn, Sabancı University offered me this opportunity. I feel very fortunate.
What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself?
Y.B: The first thing that comes to mind is that in 20 years, Sabancı University is likely to be among the top 20 universities in the world…
My dream for myself in 20 years can only be for my grandchildren to study with their Western friends on this campus…
Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?
Y.B: I would probably be working in an institution where I chose similar working hours.