Gallipoli Anonymous

To the left of me, there were graves. To the right of me, there were mountains, and ahead were the beautiful seas of Çanakkale (Gallipoli). Standing in the center of the historic war zone, young and confused, I asked my parents “Did we win?”. My English mother giggled as my Turkish father paused, then asked, “Whose side are you on?”

In Turkey I am “Timur” and in England, I am “Tim”. When I am in the U.S. and somebody asks where I am from, I say half and half. This question has always been a part of my life and has been proven consistent with my character as well. As a child, I could never be satisfied with just one sport or one activity. I was ambitious to pursue everything I came across. As of now, I am a jazz musician and captain of the basketball team and I intend to seek an academic career in theoretical physics.

In short, I am someone who becomes truly passionate about whatever I do and I am never afraid to put myself in unfamiliar situations. I am eager to use my diverse background to foster new relationships and share my culture, simultaneously expanding my perspective in order to become a global citizen. In the future, with my newly attained and gradually broadening mindset, I aim to solve the grand challenges of our...