I got my undergraduate and graduate degrees from METU and Bilkent in 2003 and 2005, respectively, both in economics. I studied international development at Harvard University between 2008-2010. I worked at the Turkish Competition Authority (government), GE (corporate), and TEPAV (non-profit) for around 4 years each. Since 2018, I started my own consultancy house. For all these endeavors, first my professors at METU, and then my classmates opened the doors. They still form a large portion of my social circles as friends and colleagues. At a time that income disparities rise around the world and universities are becoming accessible only to an elite class, METU is still an exemplary university that a hardworking student from an not-so-rich family can get a strong academic and social background.