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With 25 years of experience at the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT), Nilgun Sezer, MA ’05, is ready to fulfill a long-held dream — to make a global impact by working for an international institution such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank or United Nations. To give herself an edge in a competitive field, she returned to ������ɫ last fall to pursue a master’s degree in accounting.

“I had applied for different positions with international institutions … and passed several stages, but got stuck at interviews,” Sezer says. “I needed to gain the technical knowledge set required to work and succeed in an international organization.”

CBRT steers the monetary and exchange rate policies in Turkey, focusing on price and financial stability, gold and foreign exchange reserves, printing and issuing banknotes, and establishing and regulating payment systems. 2005

At CBRT, Sezer held roles from foreign relations to budget and financial reporting to risk management, and says she’s most proud of her work to support Turkey’s candidacy for the European Union (EU). CBRT — like many other Turkish institutions — needed to change its structure to become EU-compliant.

Sezer designed a model Central Bank law adhering to EU standards.

“To do this, I had to examine all EU member countries’ central banking laws,” Sezer says. “This project helped me begin to appreciate the importance of my work, as well as CBRT’s role in carrying out the republic’s monetary policy.”

Sezer first came to ������ɫ in 2003 to pursue a master’s degree in economics supported by a CBRT scholarship.

“[The experience] added a lot to me both academically and personally,” Sezer says. “My years at ������ɫ were some of the best years of my life.”