Fellow graduates, esteemed faculty, families, and friends--welcome, and congratulations to the Class of 2026.
Standing here today, my first instinct isn't to talk about my own hard work, but about the people who made it possible. A university journey is rarely survived alone. That starts, of course, with my family, who gave me their everything. I owe it all to them.
I have also been extraordinarily lucky to have mentors who took my ambitions seriously and showed me how to do the actual work.
Professor Kişisel, thank you for dedicating hours of your time to guide me through the realities of academia.
Professor Berktav, you took me and raised me to become a mathematician when I knew next to nothing about algebraic geometry.
And to Professor Savaş, who taught me not just how to research, but how to conduct myself professionally.
It is mentors like them--and peers like all of you--that kept us going. Because, let’s just be honest with ourselves today: over the last four years, we haven't just watched METU lose its spirit. We have watched it be hollowed out. We may be facing an understanding that dismantles our culture and ignores our voices. In fact, it is easy to look at the state of things and wonder why this place is still held in such high regard.
The secret is that the buildings don't make this university. The administration certainly doesn't.
We do. We are what makes METU, METU.
But before we applaud ourselves, we need to look in the mirror and accept what that truly means. If we claim to be the pulse of this campus, then we don't just own the greatness. We own the bad, too. We cannot blindly congratulate ourselves today without taking responsibility for the environment we allowed to take hold.
Yes, they may have done everything to break this campus. But if the spirit of METU is fading, it is also because we let our own spirits fade. We have retreated into survival mode instead of fighting.
And maybe that is the most honest lesson METU has given us. We have immense power to shape our environment. True pride comes from owning our entire reality and recognizing what comes next.
As Professor Savaş reminds me time and again: do not see your accomplishment as a reward, but as a responsibility. A responsibility to make a difference.
As we hold these diplomas, we aren't just taking the legacy of METU into the world; we are taking the knowledge that we are the architects of our culture. We have a responsibility to refuse to let our spirits fade, to refuse to just "survive," and to build healthier, more resilient, and more defiant communities wherever we go next.
This diploma is not just a receipt for surviving a broken system. It is a demand that we do better.
Thank you. Congratulations.