Let me start by telling you the most important thing about Esra: she practically fizzes with warmth.

When I first met her I was captivated by the incredible sense of compassion that emanates from her – those fiery red locks give you a sense of the fiercely independent spirit that lies within!  Esra has led an amazing life, living and working in Cyprus and Turkey as well as the UK.  Her extensive background in teaching, passion for her family and commitment to supporting Hug in a Blanket — a children’s charity who provide knitted blankets to those living with long term, life-limiting, terminal, physical or mental health conditions — all demonstrate her dedication to causes she cares deeply about, and her work briefing, organising and marking exam papers for the British Council over her teaching career (she has also enrolled as an online examiner and item writer for the British Council) is testament to the high regard in which she is held in education.

I quickly realised Esra’s conscientious multi-tasking and tenacity for problem solving. Her calm, diligent nature makes her an expert in-depth researcher, especially on unique or unusual topics – you should try quizzing her on crochet!  Her attention to detail is second to none: Esra’s levels of perfectionism show the rest of us up.

Esra has an enormous capacity for empathy and wisdom — things that can only come with life experience — and is the master of active listening, a truly rare skill that makes her an ideal mentor and guide. Not to mention a huge asset to everyone around her.