Aylin's story: Finding my professional family

At the age of 13, I emigrated from Turkey to Austria with my family. None of us spoke German at the time, which made starting over very challenging. It was a difficult time, leaving our familiar community behind, but this experience shaped us and motivated me to explore new paths.

After a few years in this role, I was headhunted to join Sodexo as a site manager by a Sodexo regional director. He supported me on my career path and believed in my abilities. I was warmly welcomed at Sodexo and immediately felt part of the team. I also discovered my passion for working in the healthcare and senior care sector.

Sodexo supported me to gain professional qualifications, which have been so important to me. My father worked as a laborer and my mother couldn’t read or write. As a child, I often had no answer when I was asked what my parents did for a living.

My brilliant team motivate me to come to work each day. My advice to anyone who wants to work in a role like mine would be to work towards the role you want by starting from the bottom and gaining practical experience. It’s important to never lose that connection with the practical experience.