Auburn’s campus is filled with students from 82 countries and each student has brought their culture to this campus.
Fehmi Capanoglu is no different. The graduate student arrived in Auburn in 2012 from Tokat, Turkey to get his PhD in industrial and systems engineering. Since then, he has become president of the Turkish Student Organization and has recently arranged a Turkish Republic Day dinner reception to honor his country.
“As the president of TSO, and a humble server of the Auburn family, we would like to achieve a cultural exchange between the Turkish community and friends in Auburn,” said Capanoglu, a graduate student in industrial and systems engineering.
The organization offers a number of events to all students on Auburn’s campus. These events range from a children’s day picnic, an Independence Day ice cream social and feasts such as Ramadan.
At the latest TSO event, the Turkish Republic Day dinner reception, Turkish food was brought in from Atlanta for guests and the organization arranged for Turkish folk music to be performed.
The beginning of any national holiday celebration in Turkey always begins the same for members of TSO. It starts with paying their respects to their ancestors who lost their lives with a moment of silence. The U.S national anthem is then sung along with the Turkish national anthem.
“Every year we pick multiple non-Turkish friends who lived in, studied in or visited Turkey to give us their honest and objective experiences they had while they were in Turkey,” Capanoglu said.
Capanoglu believes this is a powerful aspect of their celebrations, because each person has an opportunity to listen to unbiased opinions about Turkey, the people and culture.
“We would like to introduce to the most beautiful aspects of Turkey to our friends who haven’t had the chance to visit Turkey or experience the culture in person,” Capanoglu said. “We also want to create an awareness of any heart rendering situation in Turkey.”
The graduate student has hopeful plans for his future in Turkey, but his childhood is what led to his life in Auburn.
“I was born in Tokat, Turkey and was raised in a middle class family along with my brother,” Capanoglu said. “He was the person who pushed me to pursue my dreams about getting a degree in the United States. My parents own a small market in which they sell staple food products. They raised us as hardworking and confident people, and always told us to 'stand for the others.'"
Since childhood, Capanoglu found a passion for engineering after spending time with his grandfather who was a blacksmith. He explained that his childhood was a bit tougher than others.
“I was a hyperactive child, and I was nearly killed in several accidents. These accidents motivated me into a career in safety engineering,” Capanoglu said.
Capanoglu plans on returning to Turkey after his dissertation. He hopes to become a professor, teaching and performing research in occupational safety and health.
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