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Berfin Örs

Istanbul, Turkey | linkedin.com/in/berfin-ors | [email protected]

Education

  • Boğaziçi University, Istanbul — Creative Writing Seminar & Workshop (Dec 2023 - Feb 2024)
    Completed an intensive fiction workshop focused on craft with weekly submissions and peer critique led by novelist Dr. Murat Gülsoy.
  • MEF University, Istanbul — Psychology, B.A. (Graduated 2022) — GPA 3.7/4.0, Honorary Degree, 50% Merit-Based Scholarship
  • MEF Schools, Istanbul — Valedictorian & Honors Graduate (2018)
    • Editor-in-Chief, School Newspaper; led editorial direction and press team for four years; Model UN conference newspaper EIC.
    • International Project Lead & Presenter (Japan: human impact of migration; Denmark: environmental sustainability); active network member.

Selected Academic Work & Research

  • Psychoanalysis and Literature I-II — readings of T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; adultism and moral ambiguity in Lemony Snicket’s works.
  • Child Images in Movies — The Yellow Wallpaper in Barbie’s Dream House.
  • English Literature — Psychoanalytic reading of parental rejection in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
  • Visual Arts — Creativity and expressionism in literature; deeper meaning in Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds.
  • Psychological Trauma — Identity, delusion, and trauma narrative in Shutter Island.
  • Readings & Research in Social Psychology — Creative personality traits, system justification, emotion regulation, collective action.
  • Readings & Research in Cognitive Psychology — Music type, emotion regulation, mood.
  • Readings & Research in Clinical Psychology I-II — Perceived parental rejection, self-disgust, depression; overview of Object Relations Theory (Kleinian).

Professional Experience

  • Cosmopolitan Türkiye, Editor — Istanbul (Jun 2024 - Sep 2025)
    • 30+ bylined articles across print and digital; topics include social commentary, artist profiles, culture, relationships.
    • Founding editor: launched 10+ verticals, built a 30+ writer network, edited 1,500+ articles focused on female voices.
    • Led community-driven series: “Cosmo Book Club,” “Places to Cry” (featured in Hearst global highlights).
    • Authored weekly sex & relationships newsletter “Öptüm”; grew total brand newsletters to 10,000+ subscribers.
    • Drove best-selling “Manifest” issue; delivered first cover shoot for emerging Turkish girl band (featured in Hearst global highlights).
    • Led “Cosmo Quiz” vertical to become top-performing content within 5 months; expanded to events, social, and companion app (Hearst highlight).
  • Gate Experience, Freelance Editorial Assistant & Interviewer — Istanbul (Dec 2024 - Jun 2025)
    • Conducted, edited, and translated 40 in-depth interviews with international artists, performers, attendees, and festival team for Echoes from Agartha 5th-anniversary coffee-table book.
  • Esquire Türkiye, Digital Editor — Istanbul (Apr - Jun 2023)
    • Co-developed editorial strategy for “Persona” relaunch; authored feature on documentary Turn Every Page.
    • Copy editing and translation of English-language features (gastronomy, sports, arts).
  • Cheer Media, Editorial Assistant — Istanbul (Jul 2022 - Aug 2023)
    • Ideated and produced multi-platform content for freelance creatives; managed newsletters, podcasts, social channels.
  • Aslı Kararaç, Clinical Psychologist, Intern & Assistant — Istanbul (Dec 2018 - Dec 2020)
    • Observed clinical therapy with focus on symbolic storytelling in children’s Game Therapy; provided research and editorial assistance for a book on preventing child sexual abuse.

Volunteering

  • English Tutor (Mar - May 2021) — 15+ hours of one-on-one online tutoring via university mentorship program; designed creative weekly exercises and film analysis to improve language and cultural fluency.
  • MEF University Vegan Club — Co-Founder.

Selected Publications

  • “‘Art is Not Escape, It is Remembrance.’ Carolina Amaya on Roots, Transformation, and Liberation” — Cosmopolitan Türkiye, 2025
  • “Women Have to Think Constantly. Here’s What It’s Like” — Digital, 2025
  • “She Makes Flowers Bloom in Her Own Path” — Print, Issue 6: Girl Gang, 2025
  • “A Never-Ending Sleepover” — Print, Issue 3: Modern Love, 2025
  • “The Parenting Influencers Who Won’t Stop Posting Their Children.” — Cosmopolitan Türkiye, 2024 (Translation to Turkish)
  • “On the Closing of Noma, and the Unbearable Costs of an Extraordinary Meal.” — Esquire Türkiye, Print, no. 196, 2023 (Translation to Turkish)
  • “Padel vs Pickleball: Can the World's Fastest-Growing Sports Overtake Tennis?” — Esquire Türkiye, Print, no. 196, 2023 (Translation to Turkish)

Languages

  • Turkish (Native)
  • English (Proficient)