Would You Like To Volunteer?

As a young organization, Friends of Anatolia is mostly standing on the hard work of its active volunteers. If you would like to join our volunteer family, please take a look at the available volunteer positions listed below and then contact us for more information.

Couldn't find a volunteering opportunity in the list above? Please visit this page again soon, since we add new positions frequently. You can also contact us to help us on various tasks which are not listed here.

Here are some of our volunteer profiles...

These are all very hard working and devoted people and they also know how to enjoy life.

Onur BOZADA: I was born in Ankara. I received my undergraduate degree from Bilkent University in economics. I came to the Bay Area in 2001 for a finance program at U.C. Berkeley, and then had my M.S. in business from San Francisco State University. Until my last year in school, I interned for many financial institutions but the “corporate world” did not meet my expectations in life. I wanted to contribute building happier, healthier communities. Today, I live in Istanbul; I provide destination management services in Turkey and in the USA for adventure and culture travelers. I love my job because it helps me to reach to the remote areas in the world. Meeting Friends of Anatolia happened to be the last missing peace in me, because now I also have the chance to contribute to the local cultures that I meet.

Serkan HATIPOGLU: I received my Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2002. I am currently working as an Image Processing Engineer at Accuray, Inc . I joined Friends of Anatolia as a volunteer in November 2005. I enjoy hiking, traveling and reading.

Gurhan KALKAN: I am running two companies, one in California and one in Turkey, providing destination management and organization services all over the world. After completing my BA degree in Istanbul, I traveled to California to figure out how to achieve my childhood dream. Travel the world and exchange my experiences with others. Outdoor traveling during my exploration in California opened my eyes to new conception of travel business. Here I am now, traveling the world and giving back to community what I have always wanted to. Thanks to Friends of Anatolia to fulfill my desires to give back to my own community and to my country where I can help to create opportunities to youngsters whom may combine their experiences with the education provided to make their wildest dreams come true.

Esen MOYA: I am a stay home mother. I have been living in the Bay area, California for four years. I was born in Karabuk, Turkey where I spent my childhood. I graduated from Cinarli Technical High school, and received my AA degree in Computer programming from Ege University. I worked as a programmer, system analyst and project manager for 8 years. My volunteering experience started after the large earthquake in IZMIT, first through individual help with my friends, and later I volunteered for the Ag17.org organization for 1.5 years. Friends of Anatolia is another inspiring project for me to continue volunteering. (Esen recently received the 2005 Exceptional Volunteer Award of Friends of Anatolia.)

Neslihan (Senvardarli) PINAR: I am a stay home mother and a part-time student. I was born in Izmir, Turkey and I lived there until I came to the Bay Area in 2001. I received my B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from 9 Eylul University and worked as an engineer for five years in Turkey and California. Now, I am preparing to apply for a master program in school counseling. I joined Friends of Anatolia as a volunteer, since these friends’ mission motivated me to walk with them to realize their dream – my dream. (Neslihan received the 2005 Exceptional Volunteer Award of Friends of Anatolia.)

Emine Ulku SARITAS: I am a Ph.D. student in Electrical Engineering Department at Stanford University. I was born in Manchester, UK and spent my childhood in Gaziantep, Turkey. After 10 years full of happy memories in Gaziantep, we moved to Ankara. I got by BS degree in EE from Bilkent University, Ankara in 2002 and came to Stanford for a Ph.D. degree. During my first year at Stanford, I've joined Yore Folk Dance Ensemble and enjoyed dancing since then. Being a volunteer is a new experience to me, and I enjoy every moment of it thanks to the friendly people at Friends of Anatolia.

Basak TOKER: I work as a consultant in Turkey in the field of market research for foreign clients. Upon graduating from Bogazici University, Department of Political Science and International Relations in 1994, I have worked, traveled and lived abroad which enabled me to learn new cultures, meet new people and gain wonderful experiences. I have realized that all this happened through the education I was given at school. I joined Friends of Anatolia so that I could help others to have those educational opportunities I had and explore the world! Thanks to Friends of Anatolia for helping me achieving my goal.

Gulcan N YESILKOKCEN: I was born in Izmir, Turkey and have been living in the Bay Area for the last 7 years. I am a consultant at Aspen Technology, currently working in R&D as a developer for various configured applications offerings for the supply chain. I have B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey and a Ph.D. in Management Science from McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. Before joining Aspentech as a consultant in 1999, I have worked as a post-doctoral research associate at University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

I joined Friends of Anatolia after learning about their educational projects in Turkey, which inspired me to do “my part” as well, to provide opportunities for education, and to promote peace and democracy in Turkey.

Click here to see our "Volunteer of the Month".