We had an enjoyable conversation with Zeynep Küçükçavdar, a 4th-year student in the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU), about her experiences in the department, the 2209-A Project she was accepted into, and her experiences as a student assistant.
1-First of all, hello Zeynep, how are you? Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hello, I'm fine, thank you. I'm Zeynep Küçükçavdar, a 4th-year student in the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts department. After studying in the food and beverage department in high school and doing an internship at a hotel, I decided to continue my profession academically. Serving people, meeting their needs and expectations, and seeing that smile on their faces at the end of the day is priceless to me. Even something as simple as someone enjoying an omelet I made and thanking me with a smile nourishes my soul. When I realized this feeling in high school, I decided to further develop myself by studying Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at university after graduation.
2-You applied to the 2209-A University Students Research Projects Support Program and your project was accepted. Can you tell us how the application process went?
My 2209-A Project was accepted. I always feel the pride and happiness of this achievement. The support and effort of my project advisor, Ms. Emel Çirişoğlu, have been invaluable to me, and I want to express my gratitude to her once again. The application process was intense and fast-paced, involving completing the project file, planning the project timeline, scanning articles, writing the literature review, and gathering resources. Experiencing, understanding, and learning these processes have added a lot to my academic career. Receiving support from my advisor and knowing she was by my side gave me strength during this process.
3-What do you plan to do within the scope of the project?
First of all, I have great confidence in my project topic. Within the scope of the project, my primary goal is to plan to minimize the effect of lavender pastry products on human stress. I aim to bring this to life, patent my recipes, and publish articles about it in journals. Since there are hardly any people today who do not experience work-related stress, my goal is to reduce it, even if just a little.
4-Finally, do you have any suggestions or advice to your friends?
I recommend to my friends that they trust themselves, actively participate in projects and events, not hesitate, consider their different ideas, and share them with their professors. I believe that even if the result is negative, experiencing that process will have a significant impact. Throughout my four years of university education, I assisted my professors, and this had a huge impact on shaping my life. As an assistant, while still a student, I had the opportunity to see the students from a teacher’s perspective and, in a way, see myself in them. The biggest benefit of this was understanding what our professors wanted to see from us, their expectations, and recognizing the mistakes and the correct actions. As a result, I was always a student appreciated by my professors throughout my university life. When I was assisting, I wasn't aware that I was making a decision that would shape my entire life. The moment someone asked me something, and I helped by sharing my knowledge, I realized that I was making a difference and that someone was learning because of me. This is an incredible feeling, and it was at that moment I decided to become an academic. After finishing my studies, I decided to prepare for a master's degree and aim to become an academic at my own university.
