I clearly remember the nervous waiting in the lobby of Swiss Hotel, Ankara for my first boarding school interviews with Northfield Mount Hermon School and Taft School. I was just 15 years old and getting ready to jump into this sea of “adventure” without actually testing the waters first. I was submerged with excitement and nervousness when I came up with the decision of leaving my family behind to attend an independent boarding school in the United States, a country that I had never set a foot before then. My parents, who wanted to be able to provide me the best education and opportunities that they could, were even more nervous; yet we were fortunate to have Leyla Merve Kayali as our advisor. From the day one that I started working with Leyla Merve, she has always been very organized and supportive during every single step of the application process and she extended her wisdom and support, even more, when it was time to pick the best offer from the Taft School among all the offers from other boarding schools that I had applied to. Leyla Merve continued to support me as an invaluable mentor during my time at Taft and shared my excitement and joy as I excelled academically in various subjects and established myself at Taft through social achievements like being selected as the Peter W. Berg Scholar and a dormitory prefect, receiving Kilbourne Arts Grant and finally launching my individual photography exhibition. Most importantly, Leyla Merve continued to extend her wisdom and support during my application process to colleges and universities, which I consider as one of the most important thresholds in my life.