Nobel laureate Acemoğlu inspires Galatasaray students

Beyazıt Şenbük - ISTANBUL

Students at Galatasaray High School, alma mater of Turkish-American economist Daron Acemoğlu, draw inspiration from the Nobel laureate's research on wealth inequality between nations, reinforcing the school's longstanding culture of unity.

“Galatasaray High School is an establishment that served as the basis for my education and ideas. I came to firmly believe that social sciences should be studied mathematically and first began to think more methodically and intelligently about such topics when I was studying there,” Acemoğlu said in his speech after receiving the "Galatasaray Award" for his work in economics in 2011.

The 57-year-old Nobel laureate graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1986. Since 1993, he has been pursuing his academic career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), after earning his undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in Britain.

This path to success has inspired scores of Galatasaray students and graduates, conveying that they can also achieve similar milestones in various fields.

“Daron Acemoğlu's winning Nobel Prize inspired us to pursue our objectives with greater assurance and made us extremely proud,” said Bengisu Bakırdere, one of the top scorers in the 2022 high school entrance exam.

Ali Rojen Gezer, another standout student, emphasized the importance of this achievement, calling it a “huge success.”

“Though I was not familiar with the specifics of his profession, I was aware that he had been employed for many years at MIT, one of the top universities in the world,” he said, noting that he himself aspires to attend the university in the future.

Echoing the sentiments of her fellow students, another pupil named Ece Uygun said, “The Nobel prize is one of the most significant indicators of achievement on a global scale. I was also inspired by this accomplishment.”