My Carolina Experience: Ece Taner
June 29, 2016 | Volleyball
My Carolina Experience: Ece Taner
By Zoya Johnson, GoHeels.com
Growing up in Izmir, Turkey, Ece Taner was very fortunate to have been accepted at the Işıkkent Institution. There, she was able to grow alongside her classmates from pre-school all the way through high school, developing in a close-knit family-like environment where she was exposed to many extracurricular opportunities like swimming, art, and theater, but nothing excited Taner quite like volleyball did.
“I attended my first volleyball practice in fifth grade and didn't stop playing for 16 years,” she says. “At first, we were the underdogs, it wasn't until high school that we started bringing home championship trophies. We built the foundation of our program from scratch and surprised a lot of people with our success along the way.
“I stuck with volleyball because I was playing with my best friends, which made 7-9:30 p.m. practices bearable. I also realized I could utilize it to get a great education and was the captain of our team from the day it was formed until the day I left for college. In the midst of high school, I realized the impact that my role had on the team and based on this revelation I made the decision to play at the collegiate level.”
Once she'd made that decision the blow of being cut from the Turkish Youth National Team during her sophomore year was as if her world were ending. Though she still had her high school and club teams to lean on Taner needed to know what was next, and thus while visiting her aunt in America she made time to attend UNC's volleyball camp.
When she saw the resources available at UNC she realized they went above what was available even at the professional level back home. “I felt I had nothing to lose but the world to gain,” says Taner, “which ended up being a success because at the end of camp Coach (Joe) Sagula expressed an interest in recruiting me. We toured the academic center, the locker room, the coach's offices, the media room, the athletic training facility, the weight room and I was sold. I couldn't see straight. All I wanted was to be a Tar Heel.”
Though other schools expressed interest in Taner, some that were just as big, and some with higher rankings, what kept her so intent on UNC was the feeling that if she were to choose Carolina as her home she would in fact be at home.
“The standards set at Carolina can be intimidating, but we're a team,” she says. “All the 'bests' are your people and they will do anything in their power to help you. The culture at UNC is geared toward cultivating the best version of you, that's why you often hear student-athletes say, 'It's the people that make this place so special.' You never feel alone because someone will always have your back, and there is always a place for you on campus, no matter where you come from, and no matter where you plan to go.
“When I arrived at UNC my main goal was to graduate and move on to play professionally at home. During my freshman season I broke my hand, it was then that I saw the bigger picture. It was a privilege simply to be at UNC. For an athlete, sports become both your life and your identity and both things can be taken away from you in a heartbeat. Therefore, you have to learn how to be comfortable in your skin without having your sport to lean on.
“During my time off I came to understand the magnitude of UNC's academic resources, its vast cultural landscape, and everything that it had to offer me as an individual. There was so much I could learn and a lot I could be a part of. Having a UNC diploma is an honor – and it was my experience as a student and a member of the community not just an athlete that made the journey special.
“Volleyball allowed me to experience the most rewarding and emotionally fulfilling moments of my life. My team was my family, and when I look back at my time at Carolina, I remember the people, the feelings, and the knowledge I gained, not the titles that went before my team or my name. For a recruit or a freshman, the best advice I can give is to cherish those moments. With the resources available to athletes at UNC, there is no reason for you not to be great at what you do.
“In all honesty, when I graduated from UNC, my vision for the next phase of my life was slow to materialize. Even though I had decided to move on from competitive volleyball, I did not want to completely detach myself from the world of athletics. I struggled to find a prospective career path that would simultaneously allow me to exercise my love for sports and lay the foundations for a rewarding profession. During this uncertain transitional period, I had the opportunity to experience the type of institutional support that puts UNC in a league of its own.”
After graduating Taner was put in contact with the Director of UNC's New Media Department, Ken Cleary, thanks to Coach Sagula. That connection allowed her to gain experience as a production assistant both behind the scenes and in front of the camera in a variety of areas within Athletics. The opportunity gave Taner a greater respect for what goes into the countless matches she was involved in, as well as towards the culture and professionalism that UNC prides itself on.
“I feel really lucky to have experienced what it's like to be a member of New Media. I had always been interested in photography, visual media production, and interpersonal communication and now, thanks to my Carolina experience I will continue to follow that passion with confidence,” she says.
