About Bilge

Bilge grew up in the small coastal town of Tarsus in Turkey. After studying English at Mersin Anatolian High School she attended Middle East Technical University to study chemical engineering. She moved back to her hometown to work for a few years, and soon after she met her husband Gökhan in 1999. They married in 2000 and quickly moved to Seattle after Gökhan received a job offer. Bilge studied management and business administration at the University of Washington and began working at the Bank of America shortly after. She took a break from work after her daugher Beril was born and in 2003 she began working at Nordstrom, where she has worked ever since. She frequently works with the Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington and finds it important to teach her children about their Turkish culture. She feels connected to both Seattle and Turkey and enjoys visiting friends and family in Turkey every summer.