By Anna Swanson, Staff Writer

Beachwood lisesi’ ne hos geldiniz.

In Turkish, this means “Welcome to Beachwood High School.”

This is the greeting that Can Bolgi received—though not in his native Turkish—when he arrived in August.

Can, pronounced “John”, left his hometown of Ankara, Turkey over the summer in pursuit of a good education at BHS. However, this is not Can’s first time in America. He has traveled to the United States several times before, including visits to Arkansas, California, Virginia, New York, and of course Ohio.

Bolgi found many differences between Beachwood and his old school. “The students are asked to memorize a lot of stuff,” Can said. He continued, “Most of our schools have uniforms; it’s much more formal in Turkey than in America.”

Many of Bolgi’s peers think he is doing fine. “He’s transitioning very well. When he’s called upon during class, he is able to give valuable insight,” said William Wollkoff.

TV production teacher Kevin Houchins also speaks well of Bolgi. He mentioned that he is a great asset to have in the TV production class due to his experience working in an audio equipment store.

Houchins also mentioned his first impression of Can: “He had a great smile.” He explained that Can is “naturally shy and reserved, but has done a terrific job when dealing with the adversity and sudden change of a new school.”

Houchins hopes that people can really get to know Bolgi better because he has a lot to offer. “Can is an absolute asset to this community,” Houchins said.

One can’t help but notice that Can’s English is pretty exceptional. He credits this to the fact that he took English at his old school. “It’s not too much of a problem with the language barrier,” he said.

Bolgi claims that he not a typical Turkish teenager. For example, many people in

Turkey love to play soccer. Can, on the other hand, is passionate about motor sports.

Bolgi said, “I started racing with go-karts six years ago. My uncle has a club in Turkey, and he, along with my father, started to teach me how to race the go-karts.”

Bolgi explained that he has always had an interest in repairing and racing automobiles. “Everybody says I have a great ability and talent for this,” he said.

The interesting thing is that in Turkey, you must be 18 to drive on the roads. Now that he lives in the United States, he can now apply for a driver’s license.  However, he is ineligible to drive go-karts in America.

Of racing, he said, “It’s an amazing experience that everyone should try. If somebody can show me a track here in Cleveland, I can teach them some techniques too.”