First-ever course achieves great success

Bornova Municipality’s Conservatory Preparation Course, organized for the first time, achieved a major success after two months of intensive training, opening the doors to university for 5 of the 15 participating students. The young artists who passed their entrance exams and took an important step toward shaping their futures, together with their instructors, visited Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki in his office to express their gratitude for providing them with this opportunity. Mayor Eşki said, “We will always stand by our young people on their artistic journey.”

The Conservatory Preparation Course, launched for the first time within Bornova Municipality’s Hobby and Skill Development Course Centers, achieved a significant success in its first term. The students who successfully completed the course and gained admission to the university departments they had targeted, together with the instructors who guided them throughout the process, visited Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki in his office. During the warm and friendly meeting, the young artists thanked Mayor Eşki for providing such a valuable opportunity in Bornova.

Mayor Eşki: “We will always stand by our young people on their artistic journey”

Expressing his pleasure at the visit, Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki emphasized that local governments should contribute to the development of the city not only through physical investments but also through culture and the arts. Mayor Eşki said:

“Bornova has always been a center of culture and art thanks to its history and character. We are very proud that the Conservatory Preparation Course, which we launched for the first time within our municipality, has produced its first results in such a short time. I wholeheartedly congratulate our five young people who pursued their dreams and earned admission to universities. Your success is Bornova’s success. As Bornova Municipality, we will continue to be your strongest supporters throughout your artistic journey.”

Students: “This course became a professional bridge to our dreams”

During the visit, the students shared their excitement and happiness, stating that the free and high-quality education provided by the municipality had been a turning point for them. The students said:

“Preparing for conservatory entrance exams is a very challenging process, both financially and emotionally. When we heard that Bornova Municipality was launching this course for the first time, we applied with great hope. Thanks to our expert instructors, we developed a professional discipline in a very short time. This course became the strongest bridge helping us reach our dreams. We would like to express our endless gratitude to Mayor Ömer Eşki and all our instructors for giving us this opportunity and always supporting us.”

University doors opened for 5 of 15 students

A total of 15 students participated in the two-month intensive preparation program, which began in May and concluded in August. At the end of the training period, 5 students demonstrated outstanding performance in the aptitude exams and gained admission to the universities they had targeted, becoming a source of pride for Bornova.

The students and the departments and universities they were admitted to are as follows:

• Folk Dances Department: Serenay Dastarlı (Ege University, Folk Dances Department), Ezel Türkel (Ege University, Folk Dances Department), Ege Taşkın (Ege University, Folk Dances Department).
• Music Department: Gülşen Nur Yeşilmen (Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Turkish Music Department).
• Instrument Making Department: Habib Yılmaz (Ege University, Instrument Making Department).

The future artists were guided by expert instructors in their respective fields: Hasan Başkaya, Selda Kesgi and İlknur Safa Güneş in music; Erkan Çabuk in instrument making; and Osman Yardım and Şenol Ağrıdağ in folk dances.

Good news: A longer-term training program will begin in the winter

The concrete and successful results achieved have prompted Bornova Municipality to take action for future terms as well. A new program is being planned to provide more comprehensive, high-quality and long-term support to students preparing for conservatory and related university departments. In this context, registrations for the winter-term preparation courses will be accepted in December, giving students a much longer period in which to prepare for the entrance exams.