��������Ƶ

Some students begin their college journey by figuring out how to get to their first lecture. Deniz Gulay began his by brushing dust off old church records in the Binghamton area.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey and fluent in Russian and Turkish, he arrived at ��������Ƶ in 2023 already determined to become a historian and prepared to seek out research opportunities from day one.

“I had a vision for myself, and I had a plan,” Gulay said. “It was like climbing the steps of a ladder one by one.”

Now a junior double majoring in history and Russian, Gulay has spent his first two years at Binghamton heavily involved in research, academics and leadership. He serves as chairman of the History Club and writes twice a week for the student newspaper, Pipe Dream.

As a first-year student, he was accepted into the Source Project, a highly selective first-year research experience in the humanities and social sciences. The program prepares students to excel throughout the rest of their college career and guides them to exceptional opportunities.

There, under the mentorship of Professor Wendy Wall, he joined the “Mapping American Prejudice” project while also developing independent research on Russian Orthodox churches in the Binghamton area. He spent weeks digging through dust-covered books, uncovering stories of migration, while also forming connections with community members outside the University.

By sophomore year, his work led to a peer-reviewed article, published in the Binghamton Journal of History. He also served as a teaching assistant for a class on U.S. immigration, using his research to support classroom discussion and student learning. That summer, his work expanded globally.

With support from a $2,000 grant, Gulay traveled to Slovakia, where he studied the language, history and culture of Eastern European groups whose immigrant communities came to Binghamton. He attended traditional marriage ceremonies, toured centuries-old churches and visited excavation sites and small villages. For him, the trip was more than academics, it was a chance to step directly into the traditions he had been studying on paper.

“It was a very sentimental high point for me,” he said. “Because all the things that I used to read from books in the library, now I was actually a part of them physically.”

Gulay also began presenting his work outside campus. He was invited to conferences at Yale University and Lycoming College, where he shared his research. These panels allowed him to showcase his findings and engage in dialogue with established scholars, gaining feedback and advice that helped refine his future work.

On campus, he continues contributing to digitization projects and expanding his experience with historical preservation. Each step, he said, has created momentum for the next, “a snowball that is rolling down the hill, the more it falls, the bigger it becomes.”

Even with his busy schedule, Gulay makes time to pause and reset. He enjoys walking through the Nature Preserve, especially at sunset, which he said helps him “organize his mind” after long days. He also writes poetry, reads widely on political history and keeps up with his love of film that he inherited from his parents’ weekly tradition of movie nights.

In the future, Gulay hopes to pursue a PhD and eventually become a professor. Whatever direction he takes, his time at Binghamton has already given him a foundation of skills and connections that he plans to carry forward.

For incoming students, his advice is to take advantage of every opportunity, even when the next steps aren’t clear.

“I know what it feels like to be in their place right now,” he said. “I would want them to know how many things are available for them, and if they put the effort there, they can actually thrive.”