Yasemin Bavbek is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at Brown University. She earned her BA in Political and Social Sciences at Sabanci University in Istanbul, and an MA in Sociology from Brown. Her research and teaching interests are in sociology of empires, religion, education, and humanitarianism, with a particular focus on transnational networks between New England and the Middle East. Her dissertation project addresses how inter-imperial and transnational relations shape local experiences, institutions, and power dynamics. Yasemin first got engaged with the Sheridan Center through the Teaching Certificate Program. Since then, she has completed the Course Design seminar and served as a Sheridan Teaching Consultant in Fall 2022.