This month, we shine a spotlight on Melih Bektas, our Community Star. A dedicated and influential leader, Melih has made a significant impact through his unwavering commitment to bringing people together and strengthening our community. His tireless efforts as a community leader highlight his passion for fostering connections, advocating for important causes, and inspiring those around him. We are proud to recognize Melih for his exceptional contributions and the positive change he continues to create.

By Oya Bain

We are proud to feature Melih Bektas, a dynamic leader and advocate for the Turkish-American community. From his roots in İstanbul to his impactful work in Rhode Island, Melih’s journey highlights resilience, cultural pride, and a commitment to building bridges between communities.
Join us as he shares his inspiring story, insights on leadership, and vision for fostering stronger connections and creating lasting change.

Can you tell us about your early beginnings? Your childhood? Original birthplace? Your parents, siblings?
I was born in İstanbul and grew up in Erenköy, very close to Bağdat Caddesi (“Cadde” as it was popular back then). My father, Oguzhan, and Nermin were born in Trabzon and moved to İstanbul when they were young. My father worked in Renault MAIS (OYAK Group) as Chief Financial Officer until he retired. I have one older sister, Bilge, an interior architect, and one younger brother, Semih, my business partner.

What factors influenced you most in your formative years? Early education?
I went to a public school in our neighborhood with 82 students! It was a great school, but my parents were apprehensive about my education, so I got transferred to İSTEK VAKFI (Acıbadem) in elementary school; as most of you know, that was a great school. Later, I joined Maltepe Anadolu High School until college.

Higher education? Where and what did you study?
Since my father had a master’s degree, even though he was born in 1946, I had to get an engineering degree and a master’s degree just to be equal to him. So, with my parents’ recommendation, I graduated from Yildiz Technical University with a degree in mechanical engineering. I learned German and English because I planned to get a master’s degree in Germany until I met my kind-of mentor, Koru Sarikaya, while I was doing my internship at FORD Plant in Izmit. He convinced me to steer to the US rather than Germany. Even today, he knows that he is responsible for changing my direction. But joking aside, he explained what he did in the US and why, which made sense then. I pursued this plan and chose the US for my MBA.

How did you choose your career path?
If I had to do it all over again, I would like to go to school for mechanical engineering and get an MBA afterward; I would not change anything. A combination of heavy analytical education and calculations with a light financial and marketing perspective shaped my current position in life! I thank my parents for this vision.

Tell us about your journey to the US. What were your initial experiences?
Because I found this MBA program in JWU located in Rhode Island, I came to this cute state. I love İstanbul but could not say no to full-grown big trees (lots of them), the fantastic foliage of New England, being near the Ocean, the closest flight to İstanbul, and almost no traffic compared to İstanbul or any other big cities in the US. If you add them up, time spent in a car stuck in traffic is a massive loss of time, and I would rather live in a relatively minor place and spend that extra time with my family.
An interesting thing I noticed here in RI was that even though I had many Greek and Armenian friends in İstanbul, I never had any issues with them regarding the historical events that took place a century ago. So, seeing so many Armenian and Greek flags flown almost everywhere through the State did not bother me but gave me a vibe that something might be happening soon!

What is your current occupation? Do you find Rhode Island a suitable milieu for career advancement?
After working as an engineer in 3D modeling and manufacturing in 2007 in Rhode Island, it was the mortgage crisis time and people were losing their jobs and houses; I decided to change my career after reading a book with the title of Be a Real Estate Millionaire. Dean Graziosi recorded a video in his car on his dashboard, which was only shown on TV at night, and he was talking about real estate. I wanted to try it. And here I am, someone who did not even know how to hold a drill, invested in real estate, and glad I have done it. I have watched these “flip it” TV shows and did precisely the same thing but also added more of the İstanbul experience to spice it up! I started with residential, and finally, 3 years ago, I did my first commercial building construction. Is Rhode Island good to do business with? No? Nowhere in New England is business friendly.

Please tell us about your experiences in Rhode Island as a political activist.
As I touched the subject slightly before, I realized that everywhere I go because of my name, I get that weird look from some people (minority). Since I never back down from threats or intimidation, I confronted people who acted strange for no reason. Guess what! They were Armenians. Even though I was always professional and respectful since I felt like I was a natural representative of Turkish nationality and had to be a great example of it, some of these extremists were very comfortable trying to bully the Turks around since they had been here for so long in Rhode Island. Almost no Turkish citizens or Turkish Americans were around. On a side note, Armenians are heavily populated in Los Angeles, California, Newton, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
So, when I was the president of a local cultural organization (TACSRI), I did something I had never done before and I reached out to all the senators and congressmen of Rhode Island at the federal level. I had to talk to them, voice our concerns, and let them know we were here, too! Were they friendly? Yes and no, but I know that one day, if we work hard, we can elect a fairer Congressman who will not side with false historical claims.

You have led Turkish-American groups to visit Congressional members multiple times and initiated good discussions with political leaders. You focus on the most critical Turkish-American activity: being politically active to enhance Turkish-American relations. Do you have plans to develop these activities further?
I love the question! The short answer is yes.
This is by far the first thing that Turkish Americans should focus on. Everyone works, everyone is busy, right? But life continues here in the US if you are not connected with government officers, municipality workers, educational committees, police officers, etc. You DO NOT exist. Whether you like it or deny this fact, you will have to know these people at some point in your life. The majority of Turkish Americans here in the US do not realize that they live in the US. They still have a mindset of the Turkish system. You are here whether you like it or not, so act and become more powerful in your field and American politics. Yes, we all love our motherland, Türkiye’s great nation, excellent rich history, beautiful, warm-helpful people, undeniably exciting nature, and the best cuisine!
But, for now, we live and work here, and our kids will probably grow up here. Most of the readers are interested in international politics especially when it comes to two great allies like Türkiye and the US. Therefore, instead of getting together with your close friends and having traditional political conversations, which have a logical end, join a PAC (Political Action Committee) and make your first move. It is not that hard; it far more straightforward than you think.

What are the challenges, and what memorable experiences have you experienced?
Turkish people are genuine and good-hearted people. There could be tough skin on the top, but deep down, we are all helpful, emotional, and friendly people. We have seen the values of the Turkish Americans during the earthquake that shook eastern Türkiye. We are resilient; anytime you fall into hopelessness, just read “Kurtulus Savasi” and “Canakkale” and remember who you are and what you are made from.

Could you tell us about your other activities in the Turkish American community?
Currently, our team and the TAC PAC set meetings and fundraisers with congressmen throughout the states. We are very active on the East Coast and growing rapidly. We strictly focus on the issues that touch Turkish Americans locally, whether business or cultural matters—immigration, minimum wage, logistics, interest rates economic issues, and much more affect us daily. It is a relationship that we are trying to set with the politicians. I am not rushing to get a result immediately; it takes time. If we are speaking of supporting the candidates before they officially get elected, they will remember you and pay attention to your requests during the policy-making process.
Also, another significant matter is almost every other month, we hear some groups of people trying to add their lies into the educational curriculum, such as so-called Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocide, and the list goes on. Our team is an expert on these matters; once we hear an attempt, we immediately act, getting the letters ready to be sent to the committees, calling them, and, if possible, visiting their office locally to stop spreading their lies.
Why do I even bother doing all this? When my son grows up and asks me what I did while other lobbies were fighting against Turkish Americans and their rights and spreading these lies, I want to be able to say, “I have put my best effort out there, and now you take it to the next level buddy.”

What is your favorite quote? What is your proudest moment in your life?
There are two unique moments when my son Mehmet Alp learned about God in Bursa Ulucami mosque at the age of two and asked the right questions about the existence of humankind and the creator.
The other great moment was when he was 3 years old; his strong voice sent shock waves to the Rhode Island Statehouse walls while singing Izmir Marsi in front of everyone during the October 29 Republic Day celebrations—special thanks to my wife, Merve.

Is there something that the readers of TurkNetwork magazine might be surprised to learn about you?
I am old school; my favorite movies might be surprising. They are the Rocky series, Zugurt Aga, and Shawshank Redemption.

What are your recommendations to the Turkish American Community?
Very crucial: If you live and work in the US, get to know your officials. Follow the daily news here, join the educational committees, visit your mayor and governor, invite them to your businesses, have your kids visit Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and much more. We can help you with all these must-done steps.
We all somehow have something to say about Turkish politics and are interested in it, but unfortunately, not at the same rate as American politics. There is a problem right there.

Would you like to share any message with our readers?
If you want to say something, if you want to raise your voice not to fight but to be heard, if you want to be a part of the policy-making process, whether it is international or things that affect our daily routine, join the Turkish American Coalition Political Action Committee. Visit www.TurkishAmericanPAC.org and send a message with your info.
We thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. ■