Aysenur Ezgi Eygi
You may have seen in the news that Seattle Central alumna Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was killed on September 6 in the West Bank while volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), an organization advocating for Palestinian liberation last week.
Eygi’s volunteer work with ISM reflects her commitment to activism, community, and justice, which she demonstrated as a student at Seattle Central, the University of Washington, and in her life as a friend, family member, and activist.
In a cultural biography assignment for an anthropology class she took with Seattle Central professor Dr. Pete Knutson, Eygi shared her life’s story and core values. As a young child, Eygi and her family emigrated from Turkey to Seattle. As they adapted to life in the United States, they navigated a myriad of financial and cultural obstacles. She completed most of her schooling in the States, and spent a few years in Turkey as a teenager, where she formed a deeper connection to her culture, learned traditional crafts and trades, and ignited her passions for geopolitics and activism.
“There seems to come a time in everyone’s life when we are tested by the truth that we believe and hold onto.”
Before starting at Seattle Central, Eygi spent time traveling the world, reconnecting with her Islamic faith, and developing her goals for the future. “I recognize how desperately immigrant families, first-gen families, and American Muslims need holistic counseling,” she wrote. “It is my goal to one day open a wellness center to offer holistic resources and healing to vulnerable communities.”
She dreamt of freedom for all peoples. “I am anti-imperialist, anti-borders, anti-nationalism, and anti-capitalism, amongst other things. I wish the world will one day experience global peace and the autonomy from the state and all imperialist powers.”
Seattle Central professor Anne Richards, who taught Eygi in a Survey of Physiological Psychology class in 2022, greatly admired her resilience and intellectual curiosity. Richards remembers her idea for a scientific study exploring the use of music to manage stress, solve difficult tasks, and soothe the sympathetic nervous system. Her approach to understanding the human experience through science and art was a testament to her creativity. “It is incomprehensible that this brain and mind are gone because of horrible violence,” Richards said.
Seattle Central psychology professor Dr. Krystle Balhan shared that Eygi stood out in her class for her enthusiasm and dedication to her fellow students. “She said her inbox was free for anyone to message her,” Balhan explained. “Literally, day one of a virtual class, and Aysenur was building community because that is what she valued.” Balhan’s was the last course Eygi needed to transfer to the University of Washington, where she went on to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Beyond the classroom, Eygi also sought to establish a strong sense of community. Seattle Central professor Shaan Shahabuddin taught Eygi in two of his psychology courses, and they became friends who would talk about life together over lunch. Several years ago, Eygi and her husband invited friends, including Shahabuddin, to their home for Ramadan to open fast together. “She regularly attended community events that were focused on healing, service, compassion,” Shahabuddin said. “She was a gem to our community and was on the pursuit of achieving a goal where she could help people in need.”
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was committed to the values of empathy, justice, and the pursuit of peace. As she wrote in one of her assignments at Seattle Central:
“There seems to come a time in everyone’s life when we are tested by the truth that we believe and hold onto.”