The “Meeting Our Alumni” event was organized by the Journalism Department of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication. The event was moderated by the Head of the Journalism Department, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay, and the Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan. Alumni of Üsküdar Üniversitesi who have achieved prominent positions in the sector shared their experiences with students and offered advice on career life.
Guests at the event included alumni from Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication: Merve Şişman, Agenda Editor at Karar Newspaper; Şahan Şengül, Event Specialist at Üsküdar Üniversitesi; İbrahim Ethem Altınsoy, Digital Content Editor at GZT; and Melis Duygun, Internet Editor at Tv100.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay: “All of them have achieved successful careers in different fields”
The opening speech of the event was delivered by the Head of the Journalism Department, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay; “Today, our very valuable alumni students are with us; each of them took their first steps in their careers. All of them have become successful journalists, content creators, and corporate communication event editors in different fields. We will listen to their journeys from their student days to their careers.” she said.
Merve Şişman: “I brought three awards to Üsküdar Üniversitesi with the projects I did at Haber Üsküdar”
Merve Şişman, Agenda Editor at Karar Newspaper and an alumna of Üsküdar Üniversitesi New Media and Journalism Department, stated that she took her first steps in news writing from the beginning of her university studies. Şişman, who noted the great efforts of Journalism Department research assistants Atila Erdemir and Selin Maden in her journey, mentioned that she joined Haber Üsküdar, the practical newspaper of Üsküdar Üniversitesi's journalism department. Emphasizing the importance of applying the knowledge gained in class, Şişman said, “Actually, you don't understand things when they are shown to you in class. You understand and progress when you hold a pen in your hand and write something.” Şişman, who stated that she brought three awards to Üsküdar Üniversitesi with the projects she carried out at Haber Üsküdar, later began an internship at Oda TV and reached the finals of the TRT Future Communicators Competition during this period.
Şahan Şengül: “Üsküdar Üniversitesi provides many opportunities for its students”
Event Specialist Şahan Şengül, an alumnus of Üsküdar Üniversitesi New Media and Journalism Department, began his speech by stating that he was an active student in high school. Şengül, who mentioned that he started organizing events while still in high school, said; “I was organizing concert events, and I gained experience from that. I continued to participate in events at Üsküdar Üniversitesi. I saw students taking photos at events for Üsküdar News Agency (ÜHA), which is affiliated with the University's Corporate Communication Department's Media PR Unit, which aroused my curiosity, and I contacted the agency and started working there as a volunteer student.” He said. Şengül, who stated that he later built trust within the team, said, “Our Rector at that time, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, was going to programs outside the institution, and they started trusting me and sending me. After attending all the events, I moved to the event unit. I organize all the events here together with my manager.” he stated.
Şengül also talked about the project he developed in his last year of school; “I needed to do a graduation project, so I developed a project called ‘There’s a Gift in Üsküdar.’ In this project, we would publish questions on social media and adapt them to real life. We would place books in one of the school lockers, and the locker codes would be the answers to the questions. With the advice of my professors, I was told to participate in a competition with this project. Under the mentorship of my professor Selin, I participated in the competition, and my project received the third-place award in the Aydın Doğan Young Communicators Competition.” he said.
Şengül also explained what he did after graduation; “After graduating, I started working as a social media manager at Haber365, an internet news website. Later, a position opened in Üsküdar Üniversitesi's event unit. The Corporate Communication Department called me and offered me a job… I resigned and came to the university I graduated from, and I have been working here for approximately three years.” he said.
Şahan Şengül: “The doors of corporate communication are open to everyone who wants to practice…”
Şengül, emphasizing that practice and application in school life provide students with serious skills and that every student should definitely use this opportunity, also stated, as a representative of Corporate Communication at the event, that the doors of the Corporate Communication Department are open to everyone looking for an opportunity to practice.
Melis Duygun: “Never give up on your career, be assertive”
Melis Duygun, an alumna of Üsküdar Üniversitesi New Media and Journalism Department, explained how she entered the media sector. Duygun, who stated that she currently works as an internet editor at TV 100 channel, explained that she was introduced to the media sector at an early age through a local newspaper. Duygun mentioned that she first worked at Gazete Üsküdar from the fall semester of her first year, where she performed multi-faceted roles as a reporter, editor, and social media manager.
Duygun also talked about how she got her job at Gazete Üsküdar, stating that she was guided by Süleyman İrvan, Dean of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication. Duygun, who worked there for 3 months, also stated that she accepted every task given to her. Duygun, who also worked as a reporter at Üsküdar News Agency for a period, gave advice to communication students. Duygun; “Friends should be assertive, they shouldn't say I can't do this, I can't do that… They need to do this at least while studying at university. I have a habit of wanting to know everyone, to have everyone's number in my directory... I even save people's numbers as name, surname, institution they work for, and their job. I feel the need to do this because the sector is very large, and I want to have an acquaintance at every door.” she expressed.
İbrahim Ethem Altınsoy: “Those who are not idle during university years always start one step ahead”
Ibrahim Ethem Altınsoy, a graduate of the New Media and Journalism Department and Content Editor at GZT, stated that being experienced always puts a person one step ahead in business life: “In high school, a microphone would never leave my hand; I never left these stages. I never thought I would be a journalist, or that my journalism journey would lead me to a place like this. I took the university entrance exams, saw my score, and immediately thought I would study at the Faculty of Communication. As Üsküdar Üniversitesi's slogan states, ‘Life is a choice.’ It's not just a university choice; our entire lives are like this, the choices we make, even in high school, greatly affect us. In the places I worked and stayed, there was always a plan for the future. When I started university, I was publishing my own magazine in my first year. University teaches you what to do and to what extent, but being experienced always puts us one step ahead in business life. Those who are not idle during university years always start one step ahead. In my school life, I also took active roles, like my friends who are speakers here today. I worked as a reporter at Üsküdar News Agency for a period. This is very important. Theory remains on paper to a certain extent, but being in the field gives you experience, you never know where an error might come from or how it will happen. I believe I was accepted because I went under these conditions.” he expressed.
The event concluded after plaque presentations and a group photo session.
