In an astonishing academic feat, Yoldova local Melda Sarıtaş Esen, 53, has completed her 13th university degree as the top student of her department.
During the Feb. 28 process, she was unable to receive her diploma in person from Yıldız Technical University’s Electronics and Communication Engineering department due to the headscarf ban, and her older brother collected it on her behalf.
Esen has since graduated from 13 universities in total, 11 through open education and two through formal education. She is currently finishing her master’s thesis and plans to pursue a doctorate in communication. She said, “My mother used to say, ‘Just keep studying.’ Now she says, ‘Enough, my daughter.’”
Married and a mother of one, Esen started her studies at Yıldız Technical University’s Electronics and Communication Engineering department in 1989. Although she was supposed to graduate in four years, due to the impact of the Feb. 28 period, it took her six years to finish.
She could not attend her graduation ceremony because of the headscarf ban, and her diploma was collected by her brother. Reflecting on the difficulties of those years, Esen said, “At that time, it was unusual for a female student to choose an engineering department,” a challenge that further fueled her determination to study.
Choosing departments in fields she wanted to learn more about, she continued to graduate through both open and formal education programs. At the bachelor’s level, she graduated from Public Administration, Child Development, and Exercise and Sports Sciences. At the associate degree level, she completed Communication Arts, Accounting and Tax Applications, Justice, Agricultural Technologies, Social Services, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Culinary Arts, and Health Care Management.
Most recently, she graduated as the top student from Yalova University’s New Media and Communication department, making it her 13th university diploma.
Esen said the hardships she faced during the Feb. 28 period motivated her even more, and emphasized that she will continue to pursue education throughout her life, “Since I was a child, I loved reading encyclopedias and was curious to learn about everything. I was a teacher’s child, and my enthusiasm for studying never faded. I completed my first university under very difficult conditions because of the headscarf ban."
"When I graduated, I was not even allowed inside the campus gate to receive my diploma. I gave power of attorney to my brother so he could collect it for me. This experience motivated me even more. The point I have reached today is not the end, just a stop along the way. I will continue learning,” she said.
She also expressed that she and her 17-year-old daughter sometimes experienced stress when their exams coincided. “Sometimes my daughter would tease me, saying, ‘Mom, I can’t keep up with you.’ My family has now gotten used to this pace. But this is a sweet kind of tiredness. In the end, the success and knowledge you gain are worth it.”
She added that she had also been accepted with top honors into her master’s program in New Media and Communication and is now working on her thesis. She plans to pursue a doctorate in communication if conditions allow, as she believes this field is especially important today.
Although she was the oldest student in her class, Esen said she easily bonded with her classmates: “I was the oldest in my department. At first, there was some hesitation from them, but when they saw how focused I was on the courses, we gradually became closer. Sometimes when they didn’t attend classes, I tried to never miss any. I probably missed class only once."
She also added: "I also tried to keep thorough notes. They would ask me for my notes. We became so close that even late at night during exam periods, they would message me for notes, and I would send them because I saw them as friends, siblings, or even like my own children, and I cared about them. So I never minded sharing my notes.”
