Turkish & Ottoman Studies Program | Near Eastern Languages & Civilization | University of Washington
Turkey in Seattle : an Oral History Project
Fedva was born in Mardin and moved to Istanbul at age seven. After graduating from the University of Istanbul with a degree in geography and seeing her sister’s success with graduate school she came to the U.S. in 1970 to attend graduate school at the University of Washington. After graduate school she went to Chicago briefly and participated in environmental studies research for three years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Following this she came back to Washington in 1976 and opened a travel agency. She worked in real estate following the closing of her travel agency in 2002. She is actively involved in the Rotary Club and occasionally attends Turkish festivals. She feels comfortable speaking English and frequently speaks in Arabic around her nephews and nieces. She values the things she has accomplished in the U.S., especially after facing discrimination in Turkey for being Christian, and enjoys the freedom she has.