Vega Sankur, who is the Community Star of this issue, has a PhD from Caltech in chemical engineering, and was an outstanding scientist and researcher at Chevron Co. Her name comes from Vega, the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. Vega also found time to be active in the Turkish American Community, serving as the president of the American Turkish Association of Southern California, a large organization with multiple chapters. Currently, she is the founding president of the Ataturk Cultural Center and the leader of the renowned Yadigar exhibit. She is modest, constructive, and full of energy, embodying the true character of a bright and successful person with total confidence in herself, a real Star.

By Oya Bain

This month, we proudly honor our Community Star—a trailblazing Turkish-American woman whose journey from Izmir to California has been marked by resilience, leadership, and deep cultural pride. A chemical engineer by training and a respected figure in the Turkish-American community, she has left a lasting impact through her work at Chevron and her tireless efforts in promoting Turkish culture as president of ATASC and founder of the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM). Her story is one of strength, service, and unwavering dedication to preserving and celebrating her heritage.

Can you tell us about your early beginnings, childhood, original birthplace, parents, and siblings?
I was born in Izmir. My mother was the daughter of an army officer who had lived all over Anatolia and was one of the first graduates of Istanbul University. My father’s family was from Izmir. He was a chemical engineer. They were married in 1944. I had a brother who was 3 years older than me. We moved to Istanbul when I was 3.
What factors influenced you most in your formative years?
I was lucky to be the child of well-educated parents. Our house was full of lively conversations on various subjects. Both my parents were truly Atatürk’s children; they admired his vision and lived by the ideas of enlightenment. An accident that left me unable to walk for 4 years was another factor. Since I was bedridden at home, I had more time to read, think, and interact with adults than if I had a “normal” childhood. I learned early that health, family, and care were the core subjects. When I recovered, against all odds; it filled me with hope, optimism, and gratitude all my life.

Your education and training. Where and what did you study?
I attended Istanbul Kiz Lisesi, which had a very robust math and science curriculum. The all-girls environment allowed me to fully excel in STEM and be competitive. I studied chemical engineering at Robert College, now Boğaziçi University (BU). I met my husband there and we got married after I finished college. We were both at Caltech for graduate studies; he in electrical engineering, and I in chemical engineering.
How did you choose your career path?
My father visited factories as a consultant, sometimes taking us with him. The large machines, the movement of materials, and the chemical processes fascinated me. I have always aspired to be an engineer since a young age.

Could you tell us about your journey to the US? What were your initial experiences?
When I was in my senior year, my fiancé was already at Caltech. I applied to a few schools and chose Caltech after being accepted. We got married that summer and flew to Los Angeles days later. When we arrived, the temperature was 104 degrees, and the air quality was inferior. My eyes started burning, and my allergies did not stop until the Christmas rains. It was the first year Ivy League schools accepted women, so we were a novelty at best, a pest at worst. One professor did not want me as his teaching assistant because “I was a girl.” When he could not remove me, he cut my pay in half. There was misogyny about my not belonging there. So, it was a difficult adjustment period. I did well in my classes, but I missed my family and friends.
I read a lot and watched TV to learn about the US. Things improved as my language skills and knowledge of the culture deepened. I could now hold my own in fast conversations on many subjects. Once I understood that misogyny was not personal, but a typical attitude against wise women, it did not hurt as much. We traveled a lot. I made friends, joined clubs, and played bridge. After a couple of years, I was just as at home in California.

What made you settle in the US? Any challenges and good memories?
It was an incremental process. Our dream was to become teachers at our beloved BU. We wanted to work and save enough to buy a flat in Istanbul because the rents were high compared to teacher pay. I became a rocket engineer at JPL, where they assisted me in applying for a green card. Türkiye was undergoing a very turbulent political time in 1979 and 1980. We wanted both: to save money and obtain green cards. We postponed our Türkiye dreams again and got good jobs. Years passed. We woke up one morning, with two houses and two cars, and realized we had truly settled in the US.
A couple of factors made this easier. We had travelled all over the western US, and fallen in love with its beauty, ease of hiking, camping, and communing with nature. We liked the cosmopolitan nature and liberal culture of 1970s in California, and appreciated the career opportunities and business ethics in the US.

You have an outstanding work record at Chevron, a large multinational American energy company. Please describe your long professional career.
I joined Chevron in their upstream (oil production and processing) research center as supervisor of the high-pressure flow laboratory. I did research, ran experiments, did simulations, and published papers. I learned about the oil field production business. I then took on a temporary field engineering job to gain familiarity with business aspects. However, I enjoyed working as a field engineer, where I was involved in business planning, drilling wells, and designing processing equipment. I developed a brand-new oil platform, “Gail.” I then moved to Chevron’s biggest offshore project at the time: Pt. Arguello. It was a complicated project with high H2S in addition to high temperatures and pressures. Shortly, I became offshore engineering manager; and then took over operations as well as. I managed three platforms, engineers, blue-collar, unionized workforce, and contractors.
I went offshore by helicopter once a week to gain a deeper understanding of operations. After a couple of incidents, and honest dialogues, I realized workers took a lot of safety risks. I developed a passion to improve safety. In a couple of years, we changed the culture to safe, incident-free operations and received a government safety award. Later I was recognized by SPE for my safety contributions too.
In 1999, Chevron sold the offshore business, and I selected to go back to research, managing a group of very motivated PhDs. The job took half my time; during the rest, I continued my safety work on the side.
This led to my next job as corporate operational excellence (OE) manager. In this job, I was instrumental in developing an OE Management System with leadership at center. I wrote the leadership behaviors module myself, basing most of it on Atatürk’s leadership. I trained corporate management, starting with the chairman, in a continuous chain. I also trained the OE staff all over the company and managed their cascading processes. I traveled in the US and to many countries where Chevron had operations.
This was a job that combined my passion and my operational experience. However, I had to commute to the Bay Area from where we lived (Ventura), to live in a hotel during the week, and to travel different time zones continuously. I got physically tired after 4 years. I also felt I had done my part. I retired to plan the rest of my life. I moved back home, rested, reinvolved in Turkish American affairs.
Shortly thereafter, Chevron offered me the opportunity to manage an extensive research project at USC. This job brought together all the experiences I collected along the way. I was at USC to find advanced solutions to oil field problems, including OE issues. I was at USC for 13 years; I enjoyed interacting with professors as well as the brilliant graduate students.

You also have a long history of involvement in the Turkish American community of California. Please share your experiences as president of the American Turkish Association of Southern California (ATASC), which is an umbrella organization with multiple chapters and schools.
I was first involved in ATASC in 1982 when the Consul General was murdered; however, when we moved to Ventura, my involvement dwindled. After I retired, I joined the ATASC board in 2006. The organization was challenged by FETO and some internal conflicts. I became president in 2008.
We developed new bylaws, clarified ATASC governance and chapter relations. We made it very clear that we are fully committed to Atatürk’s vision and the secular, modern Turkish Republic. I had accepted the presidency on the condition that ATASC management will pass on to younger generations. After two terms, with new bylaws and a strong board, the younger generation took charge.

You are also the founder and president of the Turkish Cultural Center (Atatürk Kultur Merkezi). Please tell about the beginnings (and challenges) of this Center, its organization, activities, and resources.
ATASC did a good job of serving our community. However, we had a gap when it came to publicizing our culture to the general public; partly due to terror scare. We formed a new chapter (ATAMLA) under ATASC umbrella to showcase our music, folk dancing, cuisine, arts, handcrafts, etc.
Our community donated funds to establish an Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), first permanent place in LA. We started a Turkish music chorus and a folk dancing group. We started to give publicly announced concerts and dance performances.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, AKM continued activities through Zoom or outdoors. We offered cooking classes in private homes and concerts in parks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we organized the first AKM Yadigar crafts exhibit.

Tell us about the much-talked-about exhibit you organized, “Yadigar.” It is a significant initiative to preserve the Turkish cultural heritage and keep it alive, as there are many impostors with false claims. Do you have plans for “Yadigar?”
Yadigar probably needs an article of its own. Ms. Nalan Atahan, Ms. Ece Hurmeydan, who are artists themselves, and I put together a cultural exhibit featuring handcrafted heirlooms. Ms. Atahan and Ms. Hurmeydan transformed a rental hall into a special exhibit space, complete with decorations, explanations, videos, and workshops. Yadigar featured multiple speakers and a fashion show. We offered Turkish cuisine, beverages, music, impromptu dancing, and other aspects of our culture. We collaborated with the Textile Museum to attract American visitors.It was a big success. We repeated it the following year on a larger scale. The mayor and many influencers attended. Since then, we have had three exhibits in other cities with collaborating with the local Turkish American organizations.

Could you tell us about your current family? In the US and Türkiye.
I have been married for 53 years. I have a daughter and a son. I have a granddaughter who is five years old. I have very little family left in Türkiye after so many years, but lots of friends.

What hobbies and activities do you enjoy in your free time?
AKM activities take a lot of my time. Last year, I worked to build a strong board and pass the baton to the young generation. I love traveling and spending time with my granddaughter.

Could you describe your daily routine for us?
I have a weekly routine. I spend two days in Santa Monica with my daughter. I attend chorus practices, help organize AKM. The days at home are spent reading, socializing, and handling AKM affairs. I like reading about history and its lessons. We also take 2-3 vacations a year with family or friends.

What is your favorite quote? What is your proudest moment in your life?
My favorite quote is “change the things you can, bear the things you can’t, and have the wisdom to know the difference.” My proudest accomplishment is raising two kind, loving, and ethical children. Second is probably my contribution to changing culture to safety first.

Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?
Can I mention two? My mother has always been my role model. From her, I learned love, kindness, and respect for all. She treated everybody the same. Loved teaching and her students, giving for their success.
The second person is Atatürk. I had, of course, admired his accomplishments heard from family and at school. However, when I started to read history and biographies, I began to understand his genius and leadership qualities truly. We can all learn a great deal from him.

Is there something that the readers of TurkNetwork Magazine might be surprised to learn about you?
I used to enjoy watching American football. I still watch the playoffs and the Super Bowl.

What are your recommendations to the Turkish American Community?
Would you like to share any message with our readers?
Please get involved and volunteer to have our voice heard. It is to ensure our children’s future.
We thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. ■