At Castilleja, Ayda Gokturk ‘25 has eagerly explored opportunities across disciplines, with a particular fascination in all things computer-related. “Computer science and programming have definitely been some of my biggest interests,” she said. “I took all of the computer science courses [offered].” She even created an app about respectful travel through a software product development class and worked on another for Gatorbotics.
Outside the classroom, Gokturk has explored her creative side. She likes making art and displayed her work in her gallery space on campus. Additionally, she played on Castilleja’s water polo team until an injury cut her time short, but she still gained valuable lessons and skills from the experience.
When asked about her most memorable moments at Castilleja, Gokturk immediately mentioned falling ill during her Global Investigator Trip (GIT) to Indonesia. “I got extremely sick, and I had to go to the hospital—it was not that fun.” However, she added that “creating art there was awesome. It was a great experience.”
Gokturk has also found value in something unexpected: “Playing Fortnite brings me joy, and I’ve learned self-control [and] how to adapt. Because there’s new seasons and weapons every month, you have to be very flexible.” She pointed out the strategic collaboration the game requires, a skill applicable in all settings.
Castilleja has similarly taught Gokturk valuable lessons, such as critical thinking. “I have a lot of critical thinking skills because of Casti, even though we think too critically sometimes,” she joked. “But I think it is very helpful to, for example, see a source and be like ‘Wait, but is this true?’ To question things that we see rather than automatically trust the source.”
Reflecting on her journey thus far, Gokturk shared some advice she would give her younger self: “Don’t stress too much. You will always end up where you need to be. So do what you want to do.”
Though the transition from her Swiss school to Castilleja wasn’t always smooth, she believes that Castilleja’s supportive environment played a large role in helping her adapt. “In freshman year, I struggled a lot,” she admitted. “I was like, ‘Am I meant to be here? How do I survive this school?’”
However, over time, Gokturk found academic passions, creative outlets and clubs to spark her interests. “I love how there’s a lot of integrated connections at [Castilleja] because at my old school in Switzerland, that was not a thing,” she said.
Next year, Gokturk will attend Stanford University, where she plans to major in Symbolic Systems, with a specific interest in artificial intelligence and machine learning. However, Gokturk is extremely open to change: “We’ll see. Anything could change.” Gokturk’s drive and passion for technology have followed her throughout her time at Castilleja and will surely continue to impact her time at Stanford and beyond.
