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GULNER GUVEN GOKALP
Country: United States of America
My name is Gulnar Guven Gokalp. I was born in Ankara, Turkey on September 8, 1948. My father Ilhami Guven who was born on 19
May 1919, is a lawyer and still practicing at the age of 83 (masallah). My mother, Nurinnisa Guven is a retired ESL teacher.
She taught at a high school in Ankara called Ataturk Lisesi. My sister Gulay works as a pharmacist in Ankara.
I graduated from Ankara Kiz Lisesi and earned my B.A. from University of Ankara, Department of Turkish Language and Literature
with a second major in English. I also earned my teaching credential from the same university. My first teaching assignment
was at a high school in Samsun. Then I had the opportunity to work as a producer (my dream job) at our national radio-TV
station ( TRT), but after I got married, I wasn’t able to work such long hours at the radio station and eventually I quit. I
returned to teaching. I taught at a few high schools and a college- Kiz Teknik Yuksek Ogretmen Okulu in Ankara. My last
teaching position in Turkey was at the Science Magnet High School ( Ankara Fen Lisesi) for gifted students. Then, as a result
of the selection process for the positions at the foreign affairs department of the Ministry of Education, I was given an
assignment to open the first Educational Attaché office at the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles, and serve as the Educational
Attaché for 4 and a half years. After my term at the office ended, my family and I decided to stay. I started teaching at the
schools in Santa Monica- Malibu and Los Angeles Unified School Districts while I was studying to earn my California Teaching
credential. Now, I hold Kindergarten through 12th grade special education teaching credential from California State University,
Northridge. I finished my master degree in special education at the same university.
I got married in 1973 to Naci Gokalp, who has an MBA from Gazi University in Ankara. He is currently working for a company in
Los Angeles. Our daughter, Gokce, earned her master’s degree in psychology at California State University, Northridge as well.
She is starting working towards her PhD in psychology at the University of Southern California this fall. Our son, Sarp, is
wheelchair bound since he was 10 because of muscular dystrophy. After high school, he studied business administration at Santa
Monica College but at the end of his second year when he was ready to transfer to a university, he had to leave school because
of his illness.
My husband and I volunteered at many activities organized by ATA-SC. I taught Turkish as a Second Language for 3 years at
ATA-SC school, and have been writing essays for The NewsBridge (ATAS-C’s publication) for the last two years.
Sema Karaoglu |
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