Florida Tech’s Ezgi Avci Shines In Miss Earth Contest

represented Turkey in the worldwide pageant

ABOVE VIDEO: Ezgi Acci, a Florida Tech volleyball player, and an Istanbul, Turkey native was one of 88 finalists competing in the live annual event and finished in the top 16 after finishing third in the Miss Turkey Pageant.

MANLA, Philippines – The annual Miss Earth Pageant was held last December in the Versailles Alabang in Las Piñas in Manila, Philippines and Florida Tech junior volleyball student-athlete Ezgi Avci, representing Turkey, finished in the top 16.

The Istanbul, Turkey native was one of 88 finalists competing in the live annual event and finished in the top 16 after finishing third in the Miss Turkey Pageant.

“I believe we should invest more time into the purification of water to not only help ourselves and those who are in need, but also to maintain the environment and protect the creatures that we share this wonderful resource with,” said Avci.

Describe your childhood growing years:

When I was four, I was very interested in swimming, so I started to swim in a club for two years. After I started primary school, I began piano and ballet courses. I found myself in a different environment where I was surrounded with art lovers and I enjoyed those moments. When I finished fifth grade, I decided to play a sport that could turn professional in the future, and I found myself playing volleyball for one of Turkey’s top three volleyball clubs. Now, 11 years later I am still playing volleyball.

What lessons did you learn from your childhood?

When I was a little I was very curious about all types of activities.

Because I was so inquisitive, I wanted to try multiple activities such as ballet, piano, and sports. Because I was this way, I turned out to be a very well-rounded person, but on the other hand, it prevented me from focusing all of my efforts on only one thing. Now that I am older, I am very glad what I was involved in such a diverse range of activities throughout my life because it has allowed me to excel in many fields and be knowledgeable about a broad range of topics.

Any special facts or story about your family?

I’m the only child of my immediate family and also I’m the only female grandkid that my grandparents have. That is why I’m very special to them.

What is the most unusual thing you have ever done?

I’m studying at the Florida Institute of Technology and my college gives written and applied piloting/flying courses for young pilots. One day, one of my pilot friends needed to complete her four hours of flight with some kind of bi-planes and asked me to accompany her. I was curious and am excited to try new things so I said yes. Once we were up in the air, it was an amazing feeling. But things got a little bit different when she told me to take control of the plane by taking her hands off the controls. Somehow I took over the controls for a few minutes and she calmly explained me the controls panels and how to keep the plane level. It was an awesome feeling but I felt way better when I gave the controls back to her.

What is your most memorable moment?

The most memorable moment of my life was when I earned my first championship with my volleyball team many years ago. Knowing that succeeding in an area that I was striving for made me feel amazing.

That was the moment when I learned performance is influenced by thinking. And now I am using this in each area of my life. Playing volleyball and being a champion taught me how powerful thoughts can be.

What is your environmental advocacy and why did you choose this?
Because only 39 % of Turkish population has access to recycling facilities in Turkey, I decided to inform young children about the benefits of recycling. I volunteered in Blue Lid Campaign which is about collecting recyclable plastic lids from bottles. Second part of my project is about planting trees and flowers with down syndrome children. Because of rapid industrialization in Istanbul, the amounts of green areas are getting smaller and smaller each day. And I wanted to create awareness of it by working with children. The last part of my project was about beach cleaning with Lions Club. Since seas are the best transportation way for countries, Turkey’s seas are under threat of getting dirty.

What makes you proud of the country you are representing?

Turkey is very rich with its cultural and historical background. Istanbul was the ancient capital of many empires like Rome and Ottoman. Since it is one of the most historical city in the world, Istanbul was chosen as the European Cultural Capital City in 2010. Another thing about Istanbul is, it is surrounded by sea and The Bosphorus is connecting Europe and Asia together. Besides the cultural and historical background, I love my people of my country. People are always accommodating, way too hospitable and communicative.

What can you promote about your country?

Since Turkey is one of the ancient cities in the world, it surrounded with history. Also since it is surrounded with three different seas (Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Aegean Sea), it is very suitable for vacations. Therefore I promote tourism in Turkey. In order to have a better quality for tourism, I also promote environmental interest from everyone in the country to protect what we’ve as both historical and as natural beauty.

EZGI AVCI FLORIDA TECH VOLLEYBALL  STATS & FACT

2013: Appeared in 24 games, starting three… finished with 117 digs, 18 assists, 12 service aces, four assisted blocks and 16 kills… recorded four service aces in team’s first three games… registered three service aces and eight digs in a 3-0 victory over Pace University (9/14)… season-high 11 digs in straight set victory over Nova Southeastern (10/5)… career-high five kills at Florida Southern (10/11), adding an assisted block and a service ace… finished with 10 digs and one service ace vs. Palm Beach Atlantic (10/16).

2012: Appeared in 25 matches, 59 sets and recorded two starts… notched 72 digs and 10 kills on the season… recorded a season-high 12 digs in a match against Lander (09/01)… tallied a season-high in kills against Converse with three (09/01).

2011: Named to the FIT Athletic Director’s Honor Roll… appeared in 17 matches, recording one start… recorded 15 digs and 16 kills on the season… notched a season-high seven kills in a match against Rollins (10/01)… tallied a season-high in digs against West Alabama with seven (10/14).

Personal: Daughter of Sibel Avci… chose Florida Tech to pursue her strong interest and passion for volleyball and gain a valuable education… post-graduate goal is to build her own business… enjoys spending her free time with friends and family… likes to go shopping and watch movies… admires her mom for her outlook on life… favorite sport is volleyball and favorite athlete is Katarzyna Skowronska… favorite quote is “Wisdom begins in wonder.”…f avorite book is In Love with a Serial Killer by Sandy Fawkes…favorite movie is “Rush Hour,” starring her favorite actor, Jackie Chan… enjoys listening to David Guetta and Rihanna… likes vacationing in Bodrum in Turkey… would like to visit the Maldives… finished third in the Ms. Turkey competition in the summer of 2012.

CLICK HERE to see Ezgi Avci’s Facebook page

Similar Stories