Southeast Turkish Olympiad

Dear Parents, Students, Teachers and Supporters of the Contest:

Every year, Istanbul Center seeks to continue expanding this important endeavor called the Turkish Olympiad of the Southeastern U.S. I am so thrilled to see the exponential increase in the number of students, teachers, parents, sponsors, and partners.

 

The Turkish language is becoming one of the most important languages spoken around the world. This is in part due to the strategic geopolitical position of Turkey. Turkey's position is right in the middle of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa, not to mention its proximity to the Middle East. Another factor is the incredible growth of Turkey's economy.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Commerce identified the Turkish economy as one of the ten emerging markets. The Turkish Language is also identified as one of the strategic languages to learn and teach to our kids. Therefore, learning Turkish is an asset.

Turkish is not only spoken in Turkey, but by millions in the Central Asian republics, such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. Turkey has close cultural and business ties with these emerging Turkic states. Turkey is highly regarded in these countries as is viewed as a successful inspiration.

Georgia is one of the U.S. states that offers the Turkish language on four levels at middle and high schools. . We encourage you to take advantage of this. If you live in a district that does not offer Turkish, we also encourage you to talk to your school district officials about offering Turkish as a second language next year. I sincerely thank each of the students, teachers and parents, as well as our partners who continue to be the key elements in our ability to grow the Turkish Olympiad of the Southeastern U.S.

Sincerely yours,

Tarik Celik, MBA

Executive Director

Istanbul Center