About Me
Freediving with my son Luciano Umut Rodriguez, Kas, Turkey
I was born on the Aegean coast of Turkey and grew up in Istanbul. I lived and studied in North Cyprus, a divided island in the Mediterranean Sea. There I received my first M.A degree in International Relations with a particular focus on the political economy of the environment. I studied the impacts of oil production on the environment and the Ogoni people of Nigeria. In 2001, I moved to the United States. In 2006 I earned an M.S degree in geography with a particular focus on feminist political ecology. I studied the gendered impacts of agricultural mechanization and intensive cotton production in Southeastern Turkey. In 2008 I received my third M.S degree in education in leadership in ecology, culture, and learning at Portland State University. My area of interest in education is vernacular knowledge, education, and self-determination for the indigenous peoples. I lived in Argentina from 2007 to 2008 where I conducted research and produced a short documentary film on the effectiveness of bilingual schooling for the Qom indigenous children. I closely worked with the Qom Indigenous peoples living in the slums of the city of Rosario. I introduced the learning gardens curriculum and created ethnobotany gardens in two bilingual schools. My current research interest in geography is to study the impacts of global climate change on the oceans and the local communities dependent on ocean resources. I also research the impacts of large tourist development, the commodification of our marine life, and its local and global impacts on our oceans and coastal communities. I study artists and various art projects around the world to understand the effectiveness of art in bringing awareness to our global issues, such as Protecting our oceans and their communities.
Also, I am a diver. And I am learning to surf the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. I love to spearfish and explore the ocean floor. Life above and underwater is amazingly beautiful and mysterious.