“Basketball makes me feel ambitious; I am a different person on the court, a free monster, and a warrior! Another thing about basketball is that, as long as you follow a few rules, you can do anything you want to win the game.”
Meet Orhan Ural. (’24), a recent alumni graduate who joined the ISKL community in 2022. Originally from Turkiye, Orhan is now studying finance at the University of North Carolina, USA.
Orhan has been dedicated to honing his basketball skills since he first stepped onto the court in Grade 5. When he’s not shooting hoops, he immerses himself in the art of woodwork and bringing walls at home to life with paint. In his downtime, Orhan cherishes engaging in profound discussions and visiting mamak stalls late into the night with his friends in Malaysia.
Here is Orhan’s story:
Can you tell us more about yourself?
My name is Orhan and I have changed 14 different schools my whole life. With university, it will be 15. I came straight from Turkiye to ISKL in August 2022 and also spent a little bit of time in Singapore.
Which grade did you join ISKL?
I joined ISKL in Grade 11 and attended five high schools, including ISKL. In Grade 9, the first semester was in Turkiye, and the second was in Singapore. Later, in Grade 10, the first semester was in an international school in Turkiye, and later, I went back to my regular Turkish high school.
In Grade 11, we moved to Kuala Lumpur. I thought I would study only one semester or a maximum of one year in ISKL. However, I have stayed for the whole two years.
What were your plans after graduating from ISKL?
I am in Turkiye for an amazing summer before attending the University of North Carolina, where I will study finance.
Can you tell us more about your other hobbies and interests?
Basketball, huge deep conversations, woodwork, and going to mamak shops late at night with friends.
I have been playing basketball since Grade 5. Some of my teammates are now playing at the national level in Turkiye. I have been to the dirtiest and cleanest courts, which means I have seen a lot in the past eight years of my basketball career. Basketball makes me feel ambitious; I am a different person on the court, a free monster, and a warrior! Another thing about basketball is that, as long as you follow a few rules, you can do anything you want to win the game.
Occasionally, just sitting and talking about our lives with friends is one of my greatest hobbies. Sharing thoughts and gaining new knowledge is incredible. Sometimes, we meet at a coffee table, sometimes at a restaurant, and sometimes on the street—as long as the conversation is good, the place does not matter! For example, mamak shops are local food places. Their food is cheap but tasty. I accept this as a hobby. I become happy eating at a mamak shop because I always explore new foods.
Painting walls is the most relaxing hobby I have ever had. Every year, I paint the whole house. In my opinion, people should never live with the same color of wall their entire lives. Painting requires a lot of attention because one mistake can cause huge problems for yourself. For example, once, I was painting my wall orange and accidentally painted the roof. I tried anything to clean it, but it did not work. My mom did not seem very happy about that one. I’ve also picked up woodworking from my father. I built my own table and always created something usable for my house.
Do you have any thoughts on your career pathway?
Of course, I will go with the flow. In the first few years, I will gain experience and, more importantly, make money. Later, I will buy a huge place and produce lavender.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
To open a restaurant.
Who or what inspires you or has influenced you?
Two people. My father and my coach who is in Singapore.
Most memorable moment at ISKL?
The IASAS Season 3 send-off. Mr. Miles came to me and said, “Orhan, you are going to teach a chant to the whole school.” I said, “WHAT!” because my previous project was to teach a chant in front of the camera, not in front of the whole school. I had to teach them one chant and also a rhythm with clubbing. Everything could have ended terribly. Still, I took the risk.
The day arrived, and I was terribly stressed out. I stepped onto the stage, and people’s eyes were, “Lemme go eat my lunch. What is this guy doing here?” but the stage was like my home; I made an incredible entry after my first words. The mission was simple, I was going to say the chant, and they were going to repeat it, but it had to be something special that nobody had done before; that is why I stopped halfway through; I was like, “GUYS, COME ON, LOUDER!” People got more excited. They yelled louder; the second time after the “who we are” part of the chant, I said, “GUYS, COME ON LOUDER, EVERYBODY STAND UP, STAND UP!” Every single person there stood up and shouted whatever I said. It was an unforgettable moment for me, seeing people doing the same thing and with the same amount of passion. For those 5 minutes, everyone forgot what was happening outside the RGB Theatre. Everyone was just focused on the chant; that was a moment I would never forget.
What does “Know yourself, care for all, and create a better world” mean to you?
Accept who you are, accept your family history, and don’t act like you are a rich potential person. Accept your nationality. I am 100% sure every single family went through so many difficulties and pathways to provide this incredible education for their children.
There is no power over human power. If every single person united today, so many problems, such as poverty and climate change, would be fixed. However, we are too busy fighting each other. That is why, if we care for all, there will always be hope that we will create a better world. Even in school, for some little misunderstandings, people being best friends become great enemies rather than uniting together to have fun.
Creating a better world is a very general statement. It will be possible after we stop fighting each other and consider what we can do for the beautiful planet.
Do you know of any student, teacher, parent, or staff who always have an anecdote to tell, love to share some insights into their passions and interest, or simply is a Panther through and through? Nominate them to be featured in our Panthers of ISKL stories by sending in your submissions here.
