Department: English Language and Literature

Country of Origin: I was born and raised in the Turkish sector of Cyprus (Nicosia); I have also lived in Turkey (Istanbul).

Language(s) Spoken Other Than English: Turkish, some French

Areas of Research Interest: My research interests are in applied linguistics; an interdisciplinary, practice-based field that focuses on resolving language based problems in real-world settings. My specific focus within applied linguistics is educational linguistics, especially language education policies and approaches to English language teaching that are linguistically appropriate and socially responsible.

How Long Have You Been in the U.S.? Altogether, 16 years as of 2010

How Long Have You Been at SIUE? I have been at SIUE since 2001

What Do You Like Most About SIUE? I like that at SIUE there is an ongoing attempt to strengthen not only the academic but also the social and cultural experiences of the students through diverse programs. I also like the green campus and attempts to foster greater awareness of our need to protect the environment.

What Do You Find To Be the Biggest Difference Between the U.S. and Your Home Country? The U.S. is culturally diverse. I feel that there are people here who are very similar to me and also people who are quite different. I like that variation, it expands my worldview. I think that in the U.S there is more tolerance for individual preferences and therefore diversity is more accepted within the larger population.