The Cohort Conveners have an essential role to play in ensuring two-way communication and thus strengthening the bonds between the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation and our Alumni.

We are pleased and proud to introduce Conveners Dawa (2005-2006) and Özlem ElgÜn Tillman(2006-07) who have enthusiastically accepted our invitation to answer a somewhat Proustian questionnaire, adding sparkle to their more traditional profiles.

dawaDawa
2005-06

The first Sauvé Scholar from Bhutan, Dawa is Bhutan Broadcasting Service’s award-winning broadcaster and anchor, and in 2014, he was elected president of the Journalists Association of Bhutan. He has had the unique opportunity of hosting the Presidential debates for two consecutive parliamentary elections in his country and has also interviewed many important foreign nationals who have distinguished themselves in different areas of interest.
Dawa returned to Sauvé House in the fall of 2014 as a participant in the first Sauvé Encore! Alumni Program and was a member of the panel of Sauvé Alumni who joined with Mme Céline Galipeau following the Fifth Annual Jeanne Sauvé Address for a discussion of the theme of the Address: Democracy in the Balance: Journalism in Canada and around the World.

We put together a short questionnaire for the Conveners in an attempt to elicit some personal information that even their fellow Scholars might not know. Here are Dawa’s answers.

Q. Who is your hero/ine? – living, historical or fictional.
A. His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck and if I am allowed to choose another one, it would be the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Bhutan, Jigme Y Thinley.
-Madame Jeanne Sauvé is easily and undoubtedly my Heroine

Q. What book/article have you read recently that has most influenced your thinking? [If you prefer, this could also be a film, video, /Ted Talk … ] A. Biography of Lee Kuan Yew, the First Prime Minister of Singapore.

Q. Favorite social media?
A. Because I was victimized by social media, I didn’t really make up my mind to have one as my favorite but I do use Facebook more vis-à-vis other media.

Q. What is your outstanding funny memory from your Sauvé year? Alternatively, your favorite recipe gleaned from a member of your cohort in THE kitchen? Or favorite multinational meal shared with the cohort?
A. A typical spicy chicken curry with rice prepared by my dear friend Naomi was my favorite recipe.

Q. Do you read fiction? Favorite genre?
A. Being a journalist, supposed to be looking for truth and realities, I could never make myself show any interest in fiction.

Q. If you could take a walk in nature, anywhere in the world, where would it be; alone, or with someone? If with someone, who [animals welcome]? In what season?
A. A walk in the Himalayan Mountains in spring would be great with fresh blossoms around and fresh air to breathe. I would definitely need a friend since I would be too scared to walk alone. A beautiful lady to walk with along the mountains would be just perfect.

Q. Your favorite form of relaxation?
A. Watching a comedy show on TV.

Q. What do you consider to be the most exaggerated concern today?
A. The Economy

Q. If you were not doing what you are doing professionally, what would be your next choice?
A. I would have easily become a teacher since not many other attractive choices were on offer at that time.

 

zlem-elg-nÖzlem ElgÜn Tillman
2006-07

My husband Erik and I reside in Chicago, IL, US. We have a standard poodle, Pasha, a wonderful, playful, and mischievous member of our family. We enjoy the city life, and we love hosting friends who are visiting from out of town (hint hint).
In 2010, Özlem moved to Chicago from Nebraska with her spouse and took the position of Associate Director of the Quantitative Reasoning Center at DePaul University. She runs this academic program, oversees its day-to-day management and also teaches. The goal of the program is to enable students to become sophisticated and critical consumers of quantitative data and information, which is a big part of the social, economic and political aspects of our society today. And Özlem is a firm believer that success in today’s world requires a solid understanding of data and quantitative skills. She also teaches Political Science classes at DePaul a few times a year.
In her extracurricular activities, Özlem has taken up an interest in screen writing and after taking several courses in the subject, she wrote a short film script (Great Eggspectations), and a SitCom pilot episode (Misery Loves Company). In her free time, she is currently working on a feature-length film script called Missed Connections. In addition, she was the creator and principal organizer of a weekend-long event called PASIONAL: Third Coast Tango Marathon, which took place in August 8-10, 2014. 150 participants came from over 35 states in the US and two provinces in Canada, as well as London, UK and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The event was a huge success and it seems it will become an annual gathering of social tango dancing in Chicago.
In November 2014, Özlem returned to Jeanne Sauvé House as a participant in the first Sauvé Encore! Alumni Program.

Özlem’s answers to our Proustian questionnaire:

Q. What book/article have you read recently that has most influenced your thinking? [If you prefer, this could also be a film ,video, /Ted Talk …] A. The Power of belief — mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc

Q. Favorite social media?
A. Facebook, LinkedIn

Q. What is your outstanding funny memory from your Sauvé year? Alternatively, your favorite recipe gleaned from a member of your cohort in THE kitchen? Or favorite multinational meal shared with the cohort?
A. So many amazing memories that it is really difficult to choose. But my favorite recipe: David Bagiaev’s world famous Olivier salad

Q. Do you read fiction? Favorite genre?
A. I LOVE fiction. genres: historical, fantasy/sci-fi

Q. If you could take a walk in nature, anywhere in the world, where would it be; alone, or with someone? If with someone, who [animals welcome]? In what season?
A. I would take a walk either on an empty Mediterranean beach, or in a redwood forest in British Columbia, with my standard poodle Pasha…

Q. Your favorite form of relaxation?
A. Socializing with friends. Playing with my dog, reading a good book, dancing