Every pioneer has a life story and a life lesson. In 1989, 40 young women, aged 13-16, stepped onto Clinton’s campus and unknowingly forever altered the course of CRS and their own lives. They were courageous settlers of a new home, a new spirit, and new opportunities that reached hundreds of young women in the years following. Where are they now? Thirty years after CRS first started the girls’ programming, 6 of those pioneers shared a glimpse of their Camp experience, post-Camp life, and of the lessons they carry with them! Each pioneer from 1989 was interviewed by me, Monica Janvier, one of the over 1,600 young women who have followed in their footsteps!

Enjoy this final piece in our collection of stories gathered from several of our 1989 female pioneers.

Meet Emine

As a child, Emine lived with her older sister and parents in Izmir, Turkey. Her father, a doctor and professor, provided her “intellectual curiosity” as her mother, a housewife, provided Emine “a soft, but determined nature”. Upholding this combination, Emine valiantly moved to Istanbul, Turkey where she studied at Boğaziçi University and has lived ever since.

Her grandparents, born in the late 19th century and early 20th century, are her inspirational influences:

“They have seen both World Wars...They lived in extremely turbulent times for this geography… We grew up in plenty and they were people who grew up in scarcity.”

Emine shares this significant story of her family to inspire her students:

“I can tell my students the story of how this country was like 120 years ago because I heard it first-hand when I was a child”.

She shared with us how she found her calling as a lecturer, and how one can discover their own calling.

CRS Memories

Trina reflects on one of her first CRS memories:

“The time you got off the bus and they sing ‘Camp Harry’ welcome. That’s a bit of a shock and now I remember it as a pleasant memory…”

And one of her favorite aspects of Camp:

“For me, one of the most pleasant parts was discovering the talents of people. You see them playing instruments. You see them acting. You see them dancing. Every day you discover something new about them... I was more of a writer and a storyteller. I had a lot of stories and I liked telling them...And I was the editor of the first magazine [girls’ programming newsletter].”

Emine going into town for shopping with fellow campers.

Life as a Lecturer

Emine continues to be a storyteller as she incorporates stories into her teaching.

“I think that storytelling is a very effective way of enhancing memory… So I tell them [my students] anecdotes about my previous work life [in business]”.

Emine currently teaches undergraduate and graduate students as a Marketing adjunct lecturer at Koç University. She teaches Corporate Responsibility, Marketing Management, Consumer Behavior, and Advertising and Promotion. Emine currently focuses her teaching, mentoring and research efforts on Corporate Responsibility, Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Businesses. She aims to educate the young generation of businesspeople to take more initiative and a more active role in addressing the global challenges we face today.

“Teaching to university students is extremely challenging because the questions that they ask and the issues that they bring up into the classroom are quite sophisticated. And I’m actually pushing my limits to learn everything I can so that actually I can be of guidance...But I think I have the best job in the world [laughs].”

She describes what drives her as a teacher: “The thing is I’m learning something new every day and that’s what I like about academia.”

Emine with her advertising and promotion class students in 2018.

Finding Your Calling

After learning about Emine’s passion for teaching, I became curious about how I, myself, can also find my calling. Emine provided advice:

“This is what I tell [ask] my students...: ‘Who are you? What is your reason for being? What is your purpose in life?’”

She advises: “Follow your passion and if the conditions don’t favor it or [if] it’s quite difficult, then stick with the thing that you are good at… Once you get into it, and as you gain achievements, you start to like it more...There will be one thing that you will like in every discipline”.

Emine believes that one can find a job that they like in any discipline such as Law, Business, Health, Art, etc.

Emine provides hope to those still struggling to find their calling:

“I didn’t know that I should be pursuing the things that I love….The thing is, I actually knew what my purpose was when I was 14 or 15 years old. My purpose was to spread knowledge. Till this day, that is my mission...I actually knew it in my heart, but it took me years to articulate it. It took me decades to act on it [laughs]. When I started my PHD I was 35 years old and that is extremely late...In teaching, I found my calling… If you find your calling when you’re 44 years old- it happens [laughs]...”