{"id":2227,"date":"2026-05-13T09:34:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T13:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/?p=2227"},"modified":"2026-05-04T09:24:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T13:24:44","slug":"mcc-proud-meet-melis-kural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/13\/mcc-proud-meet-melis-kural\/","title":{"rendered":"MCC Proud: Meet Melis Kural"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Melis Kural is the Coordinator for the Teaching and Creativity Center at Monroe Community College (MCC), providing pedagogical training and workshops for faculty and professional staff, particularly in areas related to student and faculty support. Kural joined the College in November 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Kural was born in Australia and raised in Turkey, an experience that has played a significant role in shaping her identity.<\/p>\n<p>She later graduated from SUNY Geneseo with degrees in sociology and business studies. As an undergraduate, Kural began tutoring French and discovered a passion for teaching. \u201cThat experience inspired me to pursue my master\u2019s and PhD in Sociology at the University at Buffalo,\u201d she said. Her specialties are in urban and regional sociology, with a focus on urban redevelopment and gentrification.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always tell my students not to plan every detail, because life can take you anywhere \u2014 and that\u2019s definitely true for me,\u201d said Kural.<\/p>\n<p>She followed a traditional path for a while, completing her dissertation, graduating, and becoming an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Keuka College. After the pandemic, her department closed, and Kural transitioned into a program coordinator role in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. \u201cI loved developing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (DEISJ) curriculum for faculty and staff, but I missed teaching and working on the academic side,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>When she saw the faculty development position at MCC, it felt like the perfect fit! \u201cI\u2019m a lifelong learner, and I really enjoy being a coordinator for the Teaching and Creativity Center,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Kural noted, \u201cMCC keeps me excited every day and brings different adventures. I don\u2019t have one specific moment that stands out yet \u2014 the whole experience has been memorable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked what advice she would give current or prospective MCC students, Kural said, \u201cThe sky is the limit. Don\u2019t be afraid to dream and allow yourself to dream big. As an international graduate, I understand feeling self-doubt or like you don\u2019t belong. Trust me \u2014 life is full of possibilities. MCC professors and staff truly care about you, your success, and your growth. College goes fast, so find your passion and your community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Outside of MCC, Kural enjoys going to the Henrietta Recreation Center and taking Pilates and strength-based classes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fun Questions About Melis<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Courtney: If you had to eat the same meal at least once a day, what would it be?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: I would go with my Turkish roots. B\u00f6rek \u2014 a fluffy pastry common in Turkey and the Balkans \u2014 is always a good choice. You can have it with spinach, minced beef, or potatoes. Minced beef is my favorite. And I can never go wrong with my mom\u2019s meatballs.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: What is your favorite movie?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: Bridesmaids. It\u2019s such a fun movie, and it made me laugh a lot during wedding planning.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: What is your favorite sports team?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: I like watching football in a global context (soccer, as many Americans call it!). My favorite team is Galatasaray.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: What is your biggest fear?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: I\u2019m scared of heights.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: Is there anything about you that people are surprised to learn?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: I did ballet for almost five years. School became very demanding, and I had to quit.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: If you could attend a dinner with any celebrity, living or dead, who would you choose?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: I listen to Amy Poehler\u2019s Good Hang podcast and love the focus on female friendship and joy \u2014 something we all need. I would love to have a fun dinner with Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: Do you prefer staying up late or waking up early?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: I\u2019m definitely a night person. I would much rather stay up late.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: Share the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you.<\/li>\n<li>Melis: Life is full of possibilities. Don\u2019t try to control your entire path \u2014 trust your life. That is my sweet sister.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: What destination do you hope to visit one day?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: So many places! I really enjoy traveling with my dad. I would like to travel to Prague, Japan, Australia, India, and Singapore. I love history and cultures. We should all travel more and learn from one another.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: What activities do you participate in over the weekend?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: I usually enjoy going to a coffee shop or a brewery with my husband and just talking. Oddly, I really enjoy grocery shopping \u2014 it\u2019s a nice way to plan meals for the week.<\/li>\n<li>Courtney: Anything else you\u2019d like to share?<\/li>\n<li>Melis: I met my sweet husband in a wine bar in Penn Yan. He\u2019s a brewer, so we work in very different industries \u2014 it balances our relationship well. It\u2019s always fun to compare our workdays!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_2228\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2228\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2228\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/05\/Melis-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Melis Kural smiling at the camera with a tray of food in front of her.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/05\/Melis-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/05\/Melis-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/05\/Melis-75x100.jpg 75w, https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/05\/Melis.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2228\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Melis Kural<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Melis Kural is the Coordinator for the Teaching and Creativity Center at Monroe Community College (MCC), providing pedagogical training and workshops for faculty and professional staff, particularly in areas related to student and faculty support. Kural joined the College in November 2023. Kural was born in Australia and raised in Turkey, an experience that has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":719,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[103],"tags":[201,107],"class_list":["post-2227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mcc-proud","tag-melis-kural","tag-staff-spotlight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/719"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2229,"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227\/revisions\/2229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.monroecc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}