About Alya

Alya Erzurumlu , born on March 13 2004, is currently a sophomore biology major at the University of Washington. Born and raised on the east side of Washington in places like Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redmond, she later moved to South Seattle. Growing up, Alya was deeply embedded in the Turkish community, her social circle consisting mainly of children of Turkish immigrants, forming a close-knit group. Despite attending different schools, this community remained a significant part of her life as she still lives with a childhood friend from this group during college. Alya herself was involved in the Turkish community, helping organize events and even playing drums in a band for Turkish festivals. Alya's connection to the Turkish community continues at the UW, where she helped establish a Turkish cultural association. She aspires to become a doctor in the future, focusing on her education at UW and trying to get good grades. Moving forward she hopes to strengthen her ties to Turkey, balancing both the American and Turkish aspect of her identity, the community aspect she gets from her Turkish upbringing and the independence that American culture affords.