Prior to my academic career, I received a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Koç University in Istanbul (1998-2002) and had experience working as a communication consultant, technical writer, researcher, and translator for international companies like Mercedes-Benz and Taylor Nelson Sofres.
I later received an M.A. in English/Professional Writing (2006) and a Ph.D. in English/Rhetoric, Writing, and Discourse Studies (2012) from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.I started teaching at the college level in Fall 2007. During my 16 years in higher education, I taught nearly 2000 students how to think critically and how to research, write, and communicate effectively. In 2018, I received Longwood's Raiford Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching.
My scholarship appeared in major journals and edited collections, including The Journal for the History of Rhetoric, Reflections (A Journal of Public Rhetoric, Civic Writing, and Service Learning), Global Rhetorical Traditions, and The Routledge Handbook of Comparative World Rhetorics. My Studies in Popular Culture article, which focuses on the premise of non-Western women's media portrayal as a rhetorical action for social change, won the 2018 Whatley Article Award from the Popular Culture Association in the South. I also published a teaching module as part of the “Diversifying the Teaching of the History of Rhetoric” series by The American Society for the History of Rhetoric. I regularly organize sessions, facilitate workshops, and present my studies at conferences worldwide.
My hobbies and other activities include creative writing (fiction and non-fiction), cooking (Mediterranean cuisine), baking, photography, film, theater, hiking, and traveling.