“Merhaba” and good evening to all of our distinguished guests and friends, to the banquet reception of the 12th International Summer School on Biocomplexity and Biodesign from Gene to System! I am (we are) honored to speak for the students and on their behalf, thank you so very much! This has been an incredible and life-altering week in beautiful Istanbul for all of us.

To Professors Metin Akay and Yasemin Akay: thank you for conceiving of this conference, and for organizing it year after year. Your tireless commitment to mentor us and to expand our horizons has enriched us.

To all of our wonderful professors: Professor Berger, Professor Subramaniam, Professor Guzman, Professor Wang (all of whom left early, but left us with so much to think about), Professor Fenstermacher, Professor Shevkopylas, and Professor Gonzalez - Thank you! Thank you for not only taking the time out of your busy schedules to share your thrilling interdisciplinary work with us, but to speak so enthusiastically during multiple talks! And thank you for being so approachable and for providing your mentorship. We truly appreciate the opportunity we had this past week to interact with you all.

Also, thank you for opening Bogazici University to us. You have given us the honor of being amongst you for a week and have treated us with such hospitality. We thank you for teaching us your rich history and for exposing us to your culinary delights.

Thank you Professor Gulcur for obtaining tickets for the Amsterdam Sinfonietta! We had a spectacular time in Topkapi Palace listening to them use just the natural acoustics within Hagia Eirene. We also enjoyed the privilege of being able to walk through the Domabahce Palace, the Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque; to have experienced such rich culture was truly awe-inspiring.

Thank you to Professor Dragomir and Allyson. Without your tireless assistance, this summer school would not have been possible.

And to our fellow students from all over the world, thank you! We not only discussed and learned more about each other’s research, but also connected on a personal level. We are each other’s peers and collaborators in the future, and it has been an exceptional experience to meet everyone.

Thank you to everyone and all the funding sources that made this summer school a reality. Thank you for believing in our potential to be global leaders and scientists, that we will advance complex medical research together. Thank you for providing us with such an amazing stepping stone with which to do so. "Tesekkürler" from all of us.