Hi, I’m Esma. I am web designer and consultant who’s passionate about helping clients build an impactful digital presence, connect them with the right audiences and amplify their messages. I believe a good website is like a well-tailored outfit: it helps people and organizations make the kind of first impression that enables them to build meaningful social connections. Like outfits, websites also get wear and tear. So I put special emphasis on client training and empowering clients with the skills and confidence to maintain their websites with ease. 

As a designer, I am particularly passionate about working with clients in the nonprofit sector pursuing social justice and equity because of my academic background. In 2022, I earned PhD in sociology from the University of Chicago where I specialized in education and cultural studies. I spent two years conducting a dissertation research project on school choice, where I conducted hundreds of interviews and participant observations to understand how parents from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds make educational decisions in response to changing policies. I then taught undergraduate students at the Global Studies department at the University of Chicago as a post-doctoral student. Although I am not actively engaged in academic work at the moment, I identify as a proud sociologist, and am always excited to work with people in the higher education and other non-profit fields.

Outside of work, I am the mama of the cheekiest toddler girl, producer and host of two longstanding Turkish podcasts Fidiro Kahvesi and Ihtiyac Odasi, and the kind of person who has never turned down a book club invite.