The sinister hum of R-16s buzzed in my ears as they barely missed the roof. The tremor of sound bombs being dropped onto our house, sharp, piercing booms, came next. I was staring at my parents’ terrified faces, trying to comprehend how my beautiful, culturally-rich hometown, the crossroad of Europe and Asia, was in the midst of chaos. As someone who has been experiencing political uncertainty in my country since the beginning of my high school career, I’ve been drawn to the issue of power, conflict, and justice, and Penn’s emphasis on diversity in both education and experience make it my ideal university.

During high school, I’ve realized my interest in economics and philosophy. At first, economics was a simple tool for me to justify my desire to order food because the opportunity cost of not eating well and doing poorly on my tests would eventually have a high cost: life failure. I continued using economics to understand the processes behind people’s choices, and my interest deepened. Currently, I’m writing a research paper in my Economics Seminar entitled The Economic Impact of the Syrian Civil War on Turkey’s Economy, which details the five billion dollars (!) the Turkish government is spending on the refugee crisis, but economics alone cannot solve this issue. Philosophy appeals to me because it makes me dig deeper into human nature; questioning accepted standards and my own actions. Penn gives me an opportunity to combine all three subjects I am interested in under a single major: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

Majoring in PPE at Penn will help me achieve my aim of studying international law and working in the nonprofit sector. I founded the Give A Hand Organization, an NGO, in 2015, and in three years, I raised $120,000 to connect volunteers with Syrian refugee children to mentor, reacclimate and educate them. The Give A Hand Organization continues to grow, so my aim is to use my education to turn this organization into a bigger nonprofit business to impact the lives of more children. The PPE major would give me a chance to not only study the implications of government policies but to also understand the process of human decision-making that guided those actions and their effects on the economy. Majoring in PPE would give me access to amazing faculty from all three departments and let me integrate those three areas into my research, giving me the critical skills to improve economic and humanitarian decision-making processes.

Penn’s College of Arts and Science will be the right place for me because it would not solely bind me to these fields. I’ve been fascinated with Classics since the beginning of high school. From reading Caesar’s de Bello Gallico to pondering the charming little book of Catullus, some of my favorite memories of school are translating Latin lines. Studying Latin gave me a chance to understand the history and philosophy of the Western civilizations at a deeper level. Penn will give me the opportunity to continue my interest in this subject by taking Free Electives. While studying the poetry of Horace with Professor Rosen (whom I met when he lectured at my school) or grappling with the behavior of individual actors in the governmental sector, a Penn education will integrate all my academic interests, transform me into an informed citizen, and put me on a path to be a world leader.

Penn also would let me integrate social impact into my education. I plan to take full advantage of both Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) courses and the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. Moreover, the Penn Civic Scholars Program will prepare me to work in public service through internships or seminars about education and service. Hopefully, if I can pursue my education at Penn, I’ll not only leave as a more educated global citizen but a dominant force in the non-profit and humanitarian sectors as well.