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Associate Professor Zeynep Unal, an Ahiska Turk (also known as Meskhetian Turks) who came to Türkiye from Kazakhstan 25 years ago to pursue higher education, now teaches in the department of biosystems engineering at the faculty of agricultural sciences and technologies at Nigde Omer Halisdemir University.
Unal's family was exiled to Central Asia in 1944. She came to Türkiye in 1999 after passing an exam held by the Ahiska Turks Association to receive a university education.
She began her undergraduate studies in 2000 at Selcuk University’s faculty of engineering, department of computer engineering. In 2013, she completed her master’s degree in medical informatics and econometrics at Akdeniz University and later earned her Ph.D. in econometrics at the same university.
Since starting at Nigde Omer Halisdemir University in 2021, Unal has served as an associate dean while also training students in agricultural engineering fields within the department of biosystems engineering.
Unal told Anadolu Agency (AA) that her grandfather often spoke about his longing for Türkiye when she was a child.
She said she grew up with the same longing and, after the collapse of what was then the Soviet Union, began looking for ways to return to Türkiye.
Noting that the Ahiska Turks Association was founded in 1999, Unal said, “The purpose of the association was to bring together Ahiska Turks living in Central Asia, provide leadership and create opportunities. We were living there almost invisibly. After the association was established, we began setting different goals. Many of us, especially the younger ones, expressed our desire to study in Türkiye, and the association supported us."
"They reached an agreement with Türkiye and opened an exam. We took the exam and 30 of us were selected in 1999. After arriving, we began our education in Izmir. We attended TOMER for a year to learn Turkish. After completing TOMER, a placement exam similar to the system here was held, and we were assigned based on our scores,” she said.
Unal recalled that special quotas were opened for them and said she was placed in the computer engineering department at Selcuk University.
“I studied at Selcuk University for four years and graduated in computer engineering. At that time, I was studying as a Kazakh citizen, and my name and surname were different. After getting married, I took my current name."
"While working in the private sector, I realized I should not step back from research and that I wanted to understand the essence of what I was doing, so I started a master’s program at Akdeniz University as a special student. With the encouragement of my professors, I continued in academia and later started my Ph.D. in econometrics at Akdeniz University,” she said.
Unal said she moved to Nigde due to family reasons after completing her doctorate. She noted that she still misses Kazakhstan.
“It’s where we spent our childhood. I go whenever I can, but it’s very far. My family, my uncles, my cousins—everyone is still there. When I go, I visit all of them. I want to thank the Republic of Türkiye on behalf of all Ahiska Turks."
"Türkiye offers opportunities to many international students, but Ahiska Turks work with exceptional dedication. Because Türkiye gave me this chance, I want to give back many times over. I do my best to be useful. I owe becoming a scientist to Türkiye. Without the support I received, I would not have reached this point,” she added.
Unal noted that she has trained many students throughout this period and intends to continue contributing to the country for as long as she can.
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