Recently, Ilker Fahri Yilmaz, a Townshend alumnus, visited Townshend to catch up with past friends and teachers. Born and raised in Germany, with parents from Turkey, Ilker first came to Townshend in 2010 and graduated in 2013.
Ilker found out about Townshend through one of his family members. He came to visit the school in 2009 and decided he liked it, which led him to start studying at Townshend a year later.
When Ilker came to Townshend he had to get used to lots of different things. For example, he had never gone to a boarding school before, so many rules and guidelines were new to him. Looking back at his years at Townshend, he had a great time making friends from all over the world, becoming part of a second family, and having the opportunity to improve his English and learn about new cultures.
When asked about his experience in the dorm and school, and how it affected his future, Ilker recalled how his self esteem greatly improved throughout his time at Townshend; an improvement that was made possible through the support and encouragement of his teachers.
He also offered some advice for current and future Townshend students, which was to “Enjoy the time you have here, because it passes, it flies.”
After graduating from Townshend, Ilker went on a year of service in California, where he served in The Bosch Baha’i School. He then went to University to study film, and is currently working on several short film projects. He is also working with the Junior Youth programme in Vancouver, helping young people empower themselves and make their neighbourhood a better place.
When Ilker started film he didn’t do it to become famous. He did it to tell a story and have the audience connect with the characters and story. His advice for people starting in film is: “Just always keep going and let nobody tell you you can’t do it. Work hard for it. The day you give up is the day before you [could] have success!”
Here is a music video titled The Change Will Come which Ilker produced a few years ago. You can read more about the project in this article.
You can follow Ilker’s projects on his Instagram @ilkerfahriyilmaz or www.ilkerfahriyilmaz.com