Teacher’s Day has special meaning for everyone – especially to the Radio Bilkent family when a teacher and mentor like former TRT producer and announcer Mehpare Çelik is among its members. To mark the day, members of the staff got together for an interview with Ms. Çelik to get to know her better and learn more from her firsthand.
She revealed that she had started her career as a civil engineer but before long realized that her passion was something else. “I felt that I would have been a terrible engineer but was perfectly suited to become an announcer,” she said, “so I decided to do the job I loved for my entire life.” She noted that pursuing an occupation you like always changes the way you perceive things.
In 2004, the Turkish Standards Institute awarded Ms. Çelik a unique honor: an ISO-2001 certificate for her perfection in the use of the Turkish language. She recalled the feelings of awe and pride she experienced, since this particular certificate is normally given only to materials, buildings or objects, and she was to the best of her knowledge the only person in the world to have received it. She noted that the award also brought with it a sense of responsibility, in that it heightened her awareness of her role in representing the Turkish language.
Ms. Çelik noted that both her determination and the success she has had came from her past experiences with TRT, starting from the age of eight. She said that TRT was like family; it was as if she had grown up amidst the collective memories and experiences of those associated with the station. These observations in particular hit home with the Radio Bilkent staff members, who similarly feel themselves part of a family – and very lucky to have the chance to get to know Ms. Çelik and learn from her.