The Syrian baby’s rib cage was showing, tears flowing from his grandmother’s face, while his mother lay sick on the couch in what was left of their rubbled house. The C-section was done, the seemingly hard part over, but now the real challenge began: finding food.

This is my hometown. This is the Istanbul of today. These are the people I want to help.

As someone interested in working with people and aiding humanitarian efforts, understanding geographical politics and people is critical. Majoring in Economics at Northwestern will help me achieve my aim of studying international law and working in the nonprofit sector. The Give A Hand Organization (the NGO I founded) continues to grow, and my goal is to impact the lives of more children. Combined with Economics, the Business Institution minor, especially the Leadership in Organizations focus, will teach me to make important organizational decisions to achieve this.

From discussing Socrates to pondering Bentham’s Utilitarianism (although, I have to say I’ve always been a Kant person), I’m fascinated with Philosophy because it’s always made me reflect more deeply upon human nature. I endeavor to join the Brady Scholars Program in Ethics and Civic Life, which juxtaposes my interest in Philosophy with politics and sociology to attempt to understand a question that threatens the lives of many: why world leaders make the choices they do. Additionally, the Global Engagement Summit is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity organized by Northwestern that would have a great impact on my experiential learning.

Through being a part of my school’s Philanthropy and Economic Councils, I saw the differences I could make to the community around my school through grant reviews, listening to others’ ideas and site visits. With countless volunteer and social work opportunities, Northwestern will let me focus on social impact in my education.