Veysel Onur Kaynar

President of the Student Council at Koç University

My first cries were heard in Kahramanmaraş in 1992. I completed my elementary education there and after succeeding in the entrance exams, left my hometown to attend TEV İnanç Türkeş High School. I spent my sophomore year as an exchange student in Germany. I guess being away from my family made me mature at a young age. After I graduated from high school in 2010, I passed the entrance exams and started studying at Koç University Law School, which I had wanted to do right from the beginning; now I am double majoring in law and economics.

How were you first introduced to the Vehbi Koç Foundation?
As with every student at Koç University, I already have a natural bond with the Vehbi Koç Foundation. I am also quite interested in the corporate identity of the university and the foundation, as I am president of the Student Council. On one hand, I think of all the things my friends at school can do to better their academic and social lives and on the other hand, I work to find ways to make the identity of being a Koç University student something enviable in all walks of life. 

Can you tell us about your future plans and goals?  
Your dreams are on one side whereas your plans are on the other. I think the more you make them match, the happier you become. I obviously have plans that will most likely be realized. In my not-so-distant future, I plan to start work as a lawyer and obtain my Master's degree somewhere abroad. It seems I will be involved in the business world as a lawyer for a long time, but I will always be looking for new things to show my presence in other areas of life. And this is exactly when dreams become important. It doesn't really matter whether I realize my career plans if I live a life devoid of art, politics or literature. Producing something in these fields in order to solve other people's problems is my real dream.

What is the role of The Vehbi Koç Foundation in your life?
In addition to the influence my family has, the institutions in which I have studied also had great influences on the way I think and on my world view. This is a growing process that started with my teacher in elementary school and continues today with Koç University. Just as I feel a sense of belonging to my family, I feel the same for the institutions at which I have studied. That's why I see everyone who has graduated or will graduate from Koç University as family. These feelings have made me see the Vehbi Koç Foundation as the house where the entire family meets for the holidays. In the future, I will provide the best support I can to strengthen and expand this family.

March 2013