Alya Can

Selamlaar! If we haven’t met yet, I’m Alya, a CivEng student running to be your Social Secretary. Trust me, as a first-year, I know Imperial can get intense. For me, social events were my coping mechanism to get used to London. I’m the kind of person who can’t just stay in my room. I always find new things to do, bring people together, and make sure no one feels left out. Even knowing Turkish Society existed before arriving made me feel instantly safer. Following Atatürk’s path of valuing community and culture, I want to give that feeling back by contributing as much as possible.

Elected or not, my goal is to make sure loneliness doesn’t get a chance to grow in our community. I’ll continue our legacy (rakı nights, pub crawls, national celebrations) while improving it by prioritizing feedback based on what members want. In addition, I want us to collaborate even more with other societies (Greek Society, etc.) through friendly fire game nights. On top of that, I want us to arrange fully Turkish-themed socials: a ‘kıraathane’ or ‘çay ocağı’ night filled with Oralet and 101s, an ‘Altın Günü’ inspired social with the kind of ‘babaanne food’ we all miss… These are just the ideas I have so far, you think of the rest :)

If you want a Social Secretary you can easily reach, trust, and rely on to keep our society alive, I’d love your vote. A home away from home, with proper Turkish vibes.