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Congratulations on winning the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards, Türkiye! Can you tell us more about what this means to you?

The moment I learned I had won was one of the happiest moments of my life. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the UK Award Committee for granting me this prestigious honour. Sometimes in life there are moments that cannot be described by words. Their significance can only be felt through the silent language of the heart. That night, I found myself in such a moment. 

I am also deeply touched by the unwavering support and continued appreciation provided by my alma mater, the ������Ƶ. Beyond providing me with a first-class education, the University has remained steadfast in its support for the conferral of the Lifetime Achievement Award to me. 

Your first degree was in Engineering. What attracted you to the ������Ƶ LLB and how was your study experience?

My UK education supported my career strongly; I have a civil engineering Diploma and Masters degree from Imperial College (1995) and I have a Law degree from ������Ƶ (2021). My second UK law degree from ������Ƶ came many years after my first UK Masters and Diploma degrees from Imperial College. I was 45 years old when I started, and 49 when I graduated.

In 2011, I was elected as a Member of the Turkish Parliament and I served my country as an MP between the years 2011-2015. Between the years 2011-2014, I became an MP in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In all these years of hard work, I was making law, proposing amendments to the laws and  defending the rule of law, human rights and constitutional democracy. This required me to study extensively, investigate different constitutional systems in the world, progress my knowledge on  human rights law, international law, European Union law, criminal law and tort law in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. I studied the case law of the Strasbourg Court extensively. My time as an MP ended in 2015.

I was intrigued to discover the profound interconnection between law and politics, recognising the intricate manner in which they are intertwined. In fact, the rule of law was the basis of everything. Human rights and democracy were not possible without the rule of law.

Can you share some of your highlights of your time as a ������Ƶ student?

Imperial College Civil Engineering Department and ������Ƶ Law School had the best Professors in the world to teach me and I was eager to learn.

Throughout my academic journey in law at the ������Ƶ, I had the  privilege of delving into the theoretical foundations of human rights law, comprehensively studying the diverse constitutional systems across the globe, scrutinising the intricacies of international law, and navigating the complexities of European Union Law. These subjects were not foreign to me, as I had garnered substantial experience during my tenure as a Member of Parliament in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. This symbiotic relationship between theory and practical experience not only enriched my understanding but also augmented my capabilities in navigating national and international political landscapes. It instilled in me a profound sense of fulfilment, empowering me to aspire towards greater heights in my political career beyond my previous positions.

Also, during my time at the ������Ƶ, I immersed myself in the extensive array of perspectives offered by eminent judges and lords on various legal cases. Renowned for their exceptional calibre, profound cultural insights, and extensive experience, these individuals left an indelible impression on me. With each passing day of my academic journey, I found their writings deeply resonating with me, gradually adopting their professional logic, thought processes, and discernment skills when applying law. It felt as though I was absorbing the collective capabilities of these esteemed figures’ argumentation, reasoning, judgment, and experiential wisdom.

Albeit I learned a lot, it was years of very hard work, studying all the time without any week end or summer holidays, without any social life at all. But my family and I persevered.

Can you tell us more about your work as an MP and any other work you are doing? 

When I was an MP I served as a Member of the Committee on “Public Works and Development” and the Committee of the “European Union-Türkiye Harmonisation” in which we were making adjustments, amendments and controls on Turkish laws to ensure that they are in line with the European acquis. 

I also served in the European Union-Türkiye Joint Parliamentary Committee participating in regular meetings with MP’s of the European Union. In the Council of Europe, I was elected as a member of the Bureau of the “European Democrats” which was a leadership position in European politics. I became a speaker of the European Democrats in many General Sessions and I became the vice president of the sub-Committee for “Energy and Environment”.

I was also elected as a rapporteur of the Council of Europe on “migration and refugees”. In the Council of Europe, I was the member of several committees, such as; “Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons”, “Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development”, “Culture, Science and Education”, “Equal Opportunities for Women and Men” and “Cooperation with Non-European Countries of Origin and Transit”.

Over the years, I was invited to TV shows, to prime-time news hours for political commentary on both national and international TV channels. During my political career, I was invited to live TV interviews in the prime time news hours by BBC, Channel 4 News ������Ƶ and Irish State TV and Radio several times. I am also invited regularly to live prime time TV interviews by several prominent Turkish TV channels.

What have been some of the most rewarding moments of your career so far?

To serve my country; to win the hearts and minds of my people during my service as an MP in the Turkish Parliament and to help, reach, serve 800 million citizens of the Council of Europe member states as an MP in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe were some of the most rewarding milestones in my career. Furthermore, the conferral upon me the UK Lifetime Achievement Award was one of the most rewarding moments of my life.

What impact has your ������Ƶ degree had on you both personally and professionally? 

My UK education reshaped and reconstructed both me and my way of thinking; my years at Imperial College gave me my current analytical and fast thinking. 

The problem solving capability, self-confidence, perseverance and self-discipline and the analytical, graded, deep and critical thinking skills I acquired from my UK education -especially from my law education at the ������Ƶ - helped me better survive in politics both at the national and the international levels.

My LLB degree from UoL taught me what I would describe as “deep thinking” and “thinking in stages” and that there was “no black or white or no 1 or 0 as in engineering”. This was an ability I would never be able to have if I had got a law education in other parts of the world. Because other universities regard law education as a social science where you have to memorize all of the articles of the legal codes. It is very static. But ������Ƶ curriculum is dynamic, they teach you to use more parts of your brain, expand your ability of argumentation, judging and most importantly reasoning. 

My Imperial College and ������Ƶ years taught me to always express my ideas freely, present them at every platform with confidence, to say the truth irrespective of its consequences, and to be an honest person. They  also taught me that I can withstand every hardship as a woman as long as I persevere, stand up after I fall and continue my way after every failure. I saw every failed trial as a new opportunity to learn and progress regardless of my age at the time. My UK education  built my confidence. I constructed myself again with my law education from ������Ƶ; I rebuilt a better new version of me by the help of my law education at my late forties. 

What advice would you give to current students who are soon to be graduating from the University or those who have recently graduated and may wish to make an impact in their area? 

I advise them to persevere relentlessly, disregarding naysayers who undermine their capabilities. 

I am of the opinion that it is never too late for anything in life, never too late to realise your full potential. Fear not failure, for it is but a stepping stone towards eventual triumph. Every setback presents an opportunity for growth; sometimes, victory emerges from apparent defeat. Time unfailingly reveals the veracity of circumstances. 

Is there anyone else you would like to mention?

I would like to extend my gratitude to my three lovely children who have rooted me while I have been progressing in my career and also to my father for his gender-blind upbringing which made me who I am today. 

I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to two remarkable women who played an instrumental role in my journey towards receiving the prestigious UK Lifetime Achievement Award with their unshakable sense of justice. British Council Director Ms. Gill Caldicott and British Council Education Manager Ms. Semra Yalçın. Their fair, meritocratic principles, devoid of any discriminatory practices, and their commitment to providing equal opportunities for women, have been pivotal in defying conventional expectations that suggest a woman of my age should gracefully step aside and instead encouraging me to forge ahead with renewed vigour. Their commitment to justice, resilience against pressures, and unequivocal stance that this award belongs to the deserving individual, regardless of political views, resonate profoundly. I am immensely grateful that I have met so remarkable and exceptional women like them.

I would also like to thank the UK Trade Commissioner for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region and British Consul General, Istanbul, Mr Kenan Poleo, who presented me with the award. Many heartfelt thanks for his kind words. Mr Poleo's unforgettable speech when he was introducing me, added to the value and meaning of this special night. I was unable to hold back my tears which flowed freely from happiness. This kind gesture and appreciation from him will be a source of motivation that I will never forget throughout my whole life.