Güneş Tuğcu ’26, seen here on the steps of Wilson Library, is one of twelve inaugural Morehead-Cain Global Fellows studying at UNC-Chapel Hill this academic year. (Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)
By Kristen Grant, University Communications and Marketing, posted via unc.edu on October 16, 2025.
As a child growing up in Mersin, Turkey, Güneş Tuğcu (Morehead-Cain Global Fellow ’26) taught herself English by watching American TV shows. She was fascinated by picturesque, fictional American towns like Stars Hollow and Mystic Falls. So, when her plane landed in the United States this summer, the Morehead-Cain Global Fellow couldn’t believe she was finally going to study at UNC–Chapel Hill, in a town that she describes as “out of a TV show.”
“Research opportunities are very limited in Turkey,” said Güneş a junior at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. “To be able to focus on my passions like science and communication at one of the most renowned research institutions in America is incredibly important to me. And to do it in such a beautiful place, I really can’t believe I’m here.”
While she knows Carolina’s campus recently starred in Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” she’s most excited about exploring classes she doesn’t have access to back home and advancing her studies in the emerging field of neurolaw.
Neurolaw is “the ethical, legal and social implications of emerging biotechnologies and how their development can determine the law in all its dimensions,” Güneş explains. Pursuing a double major in psychology and Western languages and literature at Boğaziçi University in Turkey, she hopes to later attend law school in the United States.
“I’m interested in responsible innovation,” she added. “And America is the cradle of innovation, I like to say.”
Güneş’s current course schedule is well-rounded. This year she’ll be taking neuroscience-related classes, like neuropsychopharmacology, as well as statistics. She’s also thrilled to be studying Shakespeare and American literature before the 1900s.
“Growing up, I was pushed towards medicine by my family, by society,” she said. “Studying the humanities and learning English is not very common or encouraged. But now I’m able to pursue studies that combine both, in a sense. And the freedom to have so much choice in your studies here is very different than back home.”
While Güneş’s love for learning is palpable, she feels a calling to teach and help others that is just as strong. When a 2023 earthquake devastated Turkey, Güneş and her family were fortunate to survive with minimal damage to their home. She sprang into action, galvanizing friends to cofound a mentorship program to help tutor displaced high school students preparing for university entrance exams.
“Everyone wanted to lend a hand,” said Güneş. “It was the most incredible collective effort, and we weren’t alone. This was happening all over the country.”
Güneş is also determined to increase accessibility to learning English in her native country. While English classes are not emphasized in Turkish schools, Güneş says proficiency in the language has become increasingly crucial when it comes to job hunting and promotions.
“I have family members who were directly impacted by this and suffered from a lack of English education in their careers,” she said.
After encountering people in Mersin who were struggling with these same roadblocks, Güneş partnered with her local city council to teach free English classes for those who wanted to learn. To earn money in college, she taught English to people online around the world before committing to her year of study abroad in Chapel Hill.
Güneş’s face lights up when she talks about the classes and experiences that come with being an inaugural Morehead-Cain Global Fellow, and she can’t wait to get to her first football game this fall. But it’s what she’ll take home with her that has the most meaning.
“When I go back, I want to be able to shed some light on the power of research and share all of the possibilities with those who want to pursue it in Turkey.”
