Take 5: Mentors Matter

This year, International Educator is bringing back a familiar favorite—our Take 5 column—but with a fresh approach. Each month, we pose a thought-provoking prompt to five members of the NAFSA community. These international educators, who represent a diverse range of voices and perspectives, respond with their insights, recommendations, and personal reflections on the myriad themes and questions that are facing the field.

Who has had the biggest impact on your career?

Nilgun Artuner has had the most profound impact on my career. In 2019, she hired me for my first international teaching role at Izmir Ozel Turk Koleji in Turkey. Her belief in my potential was transformative. She gave me a voice and put me in spaces where I felt unprepared, trusting that I could rise to the challenge—even when I doubted myself.

Nilgun was a disciplined leader with high expectations, working tirelessly to ensure quality instruction while supporting her teachers. She inspired me to engage more deeply with the ELT (English-language teaching) community, connecting me with industry leaders and encouraging me to join professional organizations where I could grow and contribute.

Her commitment to excellence is something I strive to embody as a lecturer and teacher trainer today. Though we no longer work together, her mentorship shaped the educator I am, and I will always be grateful for her influence.
—Courtney Bailey, University of South Carolina

I feel incredibly fortunate to have collaborated with some of the most talented and dedicated international educators in the field. My journey would