I lived in Antakya until I started college in Ankara, where I studied Economics at the Middle East Technical University (METU).

After graduating from METU, I came to the University of Maine for an M.S. in Resource Economics Policy. During the two years I was in Maine, I focused on microbusinesses, which led to my M.S. thesis titled The Economic Impact and Importance of Microbusinesses to the New England Economy.

Now, I am a second-year PhD student at the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech. My current research focus is poverty in the rural South.

Click here for a detailed CV (in PDF format).