It has been four years since Tidia Traore first arrived in Turkey to study. Since then, a young Malian man has mastered his knowledge of Turkish and life in the country more than 4,400 kilometers (2,734 miles) away from his home. He is now extending a helping hand to international students adapting to their new environment.
Traore, who came to Turkey in 2017 and studied the Turkish language for a year in the metropolis of Istanbul, enrolled in Hitit University in the central province of Çorum, where he later applied for an undergraduate program. Traore, who started his education in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, helps international students avoid the difficulties he experienced when he first came to Turkey.
He helps them adapt to the university and the city by bringing them together on social media platforms. Offering help from the registration process to accommodation, official procedures to lecture notes, Traore is loved by students and the school’s administration.
He said he wants to contribute so that everyone receives a good education. "I had a lot of difficulty in the translation of my diplomas and the equivalence procedures due to the language barrier,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA). "I do my best so that the students who come to Corum do not experience the same difficulties.”
The school's international office manager, Esin Erden, said that Traore offers a great opportunity for university and international students because he is accommodating. For instance, Gabon national Rogane Ludvy said he needed help with residence procedures when he first came to the university and met Traore through a friend. "I applied to him to solve my problems. He helped me right away. He is like my brother," said Ludvy.
Soulemane Diallo from Guinea said he was able to continue his undergraduate education with Traore’s help. Another student, Miriam Sibanda, from Zambia, emphasized that students love Traore and said whoever tells him about their problem, Traore resolves it immediately.
Turkey is a popular destination for international students hailing from across the globe, widely due to its Turkey Scholarships program. This year alone, 165,511 foreign students from 178 countries applied to benefit from grants provided by the state-run Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).
