Get to know out new student employee, Deniz Cengiz!
Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey
Class Year: 2021
Majors/Minors: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Archaeology
Your UR activities other than working here: Design Thinking Fellow at Barbara J. Burger iZone, Sihir Bellydancing Ensemble
What has been your favorite experience at UR so far?
The journey of exploring how I fit in to the new setting and community of UR and sharing it with people that have become my family away from home has by far been the best experience. A really great memory from last year is from the Scare Fair that the library hosts: I was organizing an event where we built fortresses to protect ourselves from the zombie apocalypse, and everyone from my hall showed up to the event and we ended up building a giant cardboard fortress in the middle of Q&I!
What advice do you have for students who want to get involved?
Don’t be afraid to fail or get rejected or be embarrassed! There are many things to do on and off campus, but it’s scary as a newcomer to sometimes step into new experiences or activities out of fear of feeling out of place or being less experienced in certain activities. We all fail or embarrass ourselves at one point or another, and there is nothing wrong with experimenting and trying out new things to see if they fit you or your interests. Finding out the right people and the community for yourself comes from trying new things and making connections!
What’s your favorite Rochester restaurant?
There’s a really good authentic Turkish restaurant called As Evi, it’s a great place for me for when I’m really missing food from home!