Melek Senturk

Melek arrived in New Zealand in 2018 as a work and holiday maker. During her first year, she worked as an English as a Second Language (ESOL) teacher at various language schools in Auckland, while also traveling around the country. In 2019, she moved to Hamilton and began working at ELPNZ. In 2024, she transitioned to ELPNZ’s Lower Hutt office as a Centre Coordinator, where she assisted former refugees and migrants in settling into life in New Zealand. This role marked the beginning of her journey with HOST International Aotearoa.

Melek studied Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and Associate Degree in Social Sciences in Turkiye before earning a Postgraduate degree in Intercultural Communication and Translation from Victoria University in Wellington. Back in Turkiye, she worked at an international school and a university as English Language Instructor, gaining valuable experience in education and cross-cultural communication. She also worked as a project implementer at a non-profit organization in The Hague, the Netherlands, where she contributed to multicultural projects, collaborating with government officials, ministers, journalists, scholars, and councils.

A passionate advocate for diversity and culture, Melek is deeply committed to exploring the intersection of different cultural perspectives and their contributions to the global community. In her personal time, she enjoys researching, reading, camping, and cycling on her mountain bike during the weekends, taking full advantage of the outdoor lifestyle that New Zealand offers.