Hasan Tanriseven is a deputy governor in Turkey. His journey with the British Council started when he won the Alumni Award for ‘Social Impact’, leading to many more learning opportunities.
'One year of studying in the UK helped broaden my horizon and enhance my capabilities as an administrator and a community leader. The UK education contributed to my innovation and creativity skills and, eventually, enabled me to aid people more successfully and create positive impacts in my country.
I applied for the British Council’s prestigious Alumni Awards in Turkey and won the ‘Social Action Award’ in 2022. Receiving this award gave further momentum to my studies. I am a lifelong learner, and the Alumni Awards opened the door to studying one more UK course to update my knowledge to help people even more. It also has opened a new chapter in my professional and academic life. My network has enlarged, and these new connections have facilitated in-depth interaction and discussion with other professionals and academics, bringing about a new understanding of leadership.
After participating in the Alumni Awards, I benefited from the limitless learning opportunities British Council offers. Learning and practising English was more difficult a few decades ago, but now the British Council provides invaluable resources and opportunities in this digital technology age. I have always been keen to improve my English level. Finding people to speak English with is difficult if you do not live in a metropolitan area, but the British Council removes boundaries. It does not matter if it is 6 am or 10 pm: you and five other people from Colombia, Italy, Japan, Ghana or elsewhere can discuss different topics moderated by a native English speaker. English Online gave me that chance. Furthermore, English Score Tutors has enabled me to discuss various issues and review my writing pieces individually with tutors. The British Council’s English Online and English Score Tutors programmes allowed me to speak English with people worldwide. For that reason, the British Council has contributed invaluable support to my learning journey.
I’m an external lecturer at prestigious universities, along with my regular duties. I advise my students to learn English well and, if possible, consider at least one year of study in the UK.'