UMAY ÇARPAN (2019 Graduate)

I was born in 1997 in İstanbul Küçükçekmece. I am among the first graduates of Istanbul Aydın University: 2017 Social Services (Associate), 2019 Social Work (Bachelor's), and 2022 Social Work Master's. My master's thesis was on the Field of Social Work in the Army. I wrote a project titled Awareness of TAF Personnel on Social Services and the Need for Social Work. During my education, I completed internships in many areas such as Fatih Social Service Center, Özel Hopa Special Education and Rehabilitation Center, Bakırköy Municipality Şefkat Nursing Home, Bahçelievler Şeyh Zayed Sevgi Homes, and İmteks Giyim A.Ş. After graduation, I worked for two years as a paid teacher at my vocational high school, Atatürk Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences / Social Support Services. As of June 2022, I took part for 3 months in Sakarya within the scope of the "Fındık Bahane" project at Genç Hayat Foundation. After the project ended, as of November, I started working as a Social Worker at the Hope Foundation for Children with Cancer (KAÇUV). After working for about 2 months, as of 24 February 2023, I started working as a Social Worker at Büyükçekmece Municipality Social Support Services Directorate. The education I received from my professors at Istanbul Aydın University greatly contributed to my successful professional life.

GİZEM ARSLAN (2019 Graduate)

I started the Social Work Department at Istanbul Aydın University in 2015 and graduated in 2019 with honors as one of the department's first graduates. I completed my field internships at the Istanbul Anti-Tuberculosis Association and Başakşehir Social Service Center (Home Care and CCT – Conditional Cash Transfer Units). I worked as a Social Worker at the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services for 5.5 months in 2021 and 3.5 months in 2022 within the scope of projects. Since February 2023, I have been working as a Social Worker at Private Akkonak Care Center 3 for individuals with mental disabilities. I am also a KAÇUV volunteer. I sincerely thank our professors who always stood by us and equipped us with valuable knowledge. In the social work profession, the contributions of our esteemed professors, with their academic identities and field experience, are invaluable.

ANILCAN KAPLAN ÖZKAN (2021 Graduate)

I was born in 1998 in Istanbul. Due to my father being a soldier, I received my primary and middle school education in different cities such as Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, and Antalya. I completed high school at Cumhuriyet Anatolian High School in Ankara. Studying in different cities increased my interaction with different cultures, helping me learn how to communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds. Ultimately, I turned to the field of Social Work, which requires working with different cultures and people. After the university exam, I was admitted to the Social Work Department at Istanbul Aydın University, where I graduated after a 4-year education. Since the academic staff consisted of academicians from the field of social work, I had a very productive four years. I had the opportunity to do three internships in different fields. In these internships, I had the chance to observe studies related to social groups with various socio-economic structures. I gained experiences where I could test the competencies I acquired during my education and improve myself. However, I realized that one can never achieve complete competence and knowledge accumulation in social work. For this reason, after university, I decided to continue my education in Germany. I was accepted to the Master's program in Social Pedagogy at Friedrich-Schiller University Jena in the city of Jena and started my studies.

ÖZGE BALCI (2022 Graduate)

I was born in 1998 in Artvin. I completed my high school education at Özel Bilgili Kültür Schools. I chose this department consciously because the fields of work and the courses I would take at university interested me. Before making my choice, the academic achievements of the department's faculty encouraged me to pursue this field. In line with the education I received at the university, I felt that my process of understanding and analyzing situations improved. In the light of my professors' experiences and the theoretical knowledge I gained, and due to the interdisciplinary nature required by my profession, I acquired an interdisciplinary perspective. Since I graduated as the second in my class, I was entitled to a fully funded thesis-based master's degree offered by the university due to my GPA. I think this is a very good opportunity for my academic development. I am mainly focusing on Mindfulness therapy and School Social Work. At the same time, the university's career center provides support in terms of CV preparation and career opportunities. This also facilitates adaptation before entering professional life for a student. I would like to thank my professors who did not withhold their support during the problems I encountered throughout my undergraduate education.

BAYRAM BARAN (2023 Graduate)

I was born in 1999 in Malatya Pütürge. I spent my childhood in Malatya; my primary, middle, high school, and university education took place in Istanbul. I attended Istanbul Başakşehir Mahmut Şevket Zırh Primary School for primary and middle school, Istanbul Küçükçekmece TOKİ Halkalı Anatolian Imam Hatip High School for high school, and graduated from the Social Work Department of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Istanbul Aydın University. I completed three internships respectively at Istanbul Başakşehir Social Service Center, Istanbul Darülaceze Presidency, and Istanbul Şişli Municipality. During my internships, I gained experience in social support services, gerontological social work, social work with refugees, and social work in disasters within the scope of the earthquakes of 6 February. Throughout my education, I wrote many projects and presented them to various institutions and organizations, strengthening my personal and professional connections. I also write poetry and opinion columns. I graduated as the top student in my department and with high honors. In addition, I won a 100% master's scholarship and started my master's education in the Social Work Department at IAU. I worked as a Child Protection Specialist at Pikolo Association in Gaziantep, in the earthquake-affected region, in partnership with UKAID and Save the Children. I am currently employed under the Darülaceze Presidency. At the core of all these achievements lies the education I received at the Social Work Department of Istanbul Aydın University and the department's expert academic staff. I extend my gratitude to my professors, each a treasure of knowledge and experience, for the theoretical and practice-supported education model. So as not to stay away from my school and department, to support my field experience with theoretical knowledge, and to specialize, I am currently pursuing a master's degree in the IAU Social Work Department. If I had the chance to study again, wherever I was in the world, I would definitely choose to study social work again. I thank my department and professors for everything.

Istanbul Aydın University Alumni Association (IAUMED)