Diverse faces of the traineeship – Aysima

In light of Diversity Week 2024, we interviewed some trainees from our Digital Transformation Intensive Programme and explored with them their experiences of working in multicultural environments like DSS. Meet Aysima who joined our international cohort of trainees in September and is part of the Safe Space Toolbox team.

“At a recent conference, I attended a session about owning your accent when speaking English. It made me realise that all this time I was trying so hard to have an American accent and it would even affect my conversations. Now, I recognise that it’s okay to have it. After all, it’s part of my identity.” – shares Aysima when I asked her about her experience working in a diverse work environment. 

About the programme

The Digital Transformation Intensive Programme is a hands-on traineeship for young professionals from around the globe who want to learn how to work responsibly and sustainably by using design, technology and social innovation. The participants follow an intensive learning trajectory while simultaneously working in multidisciplinary teams on an innovative challenge from one of our partners.

Interview with Aysima

Could you tell me briefly about your background and where you come from? 

My name is Aysima and I come from Turkey. My family moved a lot when I was a kid, but for 15 years I have been living in Istanbul. I have a background in psychology with a master’s degree in Gender Studies. I love doing research and being in the research environment, especially with a focus on social impact. I define myself as a person who wants to be a part of such transformative change. Back in Turkey, I had a few work experiences in the corporate environment, where I mostly did market research. Further, I worked in the field of sexual and reproductive health, an area that I find interesting to continue exploring in the future. 

And why did you join DSS, if I may ask?

I had a really nice exchange experience in Tilburg and was looking for an opportunity to return to the Netherlands. Then I found DSS and successfully applied. This choice was also motivated by my desire to make a career change. I was really bored doing market research and being in a corporate environment. Working there was also not in line with my personality and triggered many insecurities. I never felt welcome and accepted in those workplaces. So, I decided to make a switch.

Have you had any experience working in a diverse team before coming to DSS? What benefits and challenges have you faced related to these experiences?

My first experience working in a diverse team happened while working for a year with Women First Digital. I wanted to make sex education more visible in my own country, and I truly enjoyed being part of this organisation. It was a very diverse team but since it was remote work, it was quite hard to find opportunities to connect with other people. That’s why, at times, it didn’t feel like I was working in a global company.

At the beginning of the traineeship at DSS, it was challenging to work with such a diverse team. We were confused about the essence of our challenge and the goals we needed to achieve. Besides Atakan (my teammate), we were all anxious about it, which I also think brought us closer and helped us connect more, actually.

It was nice to see how everyone was willing to share their vulnerabilities and thoughts. In cases like that, I know that I often take the role of a “psychologist” in the group. So, I sometimes feel triggered to respond when I see someone struggling and want to make them happy. Thus, this is a learning curve for me too with a lot of self-reflection on how to navigate situations like that. There are sides of me that I want to work on, and this type of teamwork allows me to learn from others, embracing diversity while recognising similarities.

What is your ambition after DSS?

Before I came here, I dreamt of being a part of academia and considered doing a PhD. However, the more I interact with that world, the more I realise that it might not be a good place for me. Cause I really like how we do things here at DSS. What we’re doing here with co-creation and co-design is also needed in academia and I would like to see it reflected in my work as well. My plan is to use this experience as an experiment. Currently, I am exploring how I can combine my knowledge, previous experiences and the skills I learn here and translate them for my future plans. I am sure this will help me bring knowledge in feminism and gender from research to the creation of something tangible.