For anyone who could use a spot of good news--outside of our region you might not have heard of it.

Dr. #RumeysaOzturk has completed her PhD.

"I would like to be called Dr. Öztürk, not Miss Öztürk, from now on.”

Yes, Dr. sister!

#SomervilleMA

https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/02/20/ozturk-phd-tufts-ice-immigration

Rümeysa Öztürk completes doctorate at Tufts nearly a year after harrowing ICE arrest

The Turkish national and Tufts University student was swept off the streets of Somerville last year by masked immigration agents. In a social media post this week, she announced she's completed her doctorate from Tufts’ Department of Child Study and Human Development.

@mem_somerville isn’t it in #MedfordMA, 😂
@aojiaohu @mem_somerville Although the official Tufts mailing address is in Medford, the Somerville/Medford line runs through campus, and the abduction was in Somerville. Not sure where the literal graduation ceremony was held.
@thatandromeda @aojiaohu @mem_somerville February graduates generally get their diploma but celebrate with pomp and circumstance in the May event. Unless there was a small Child Dev dept ceremony for Rumeysa (totally possible, esp given the circumstances), I suspect there wasn't a ceremony this month. (But also to the question, the big May graduation ceremonies are on the lawn at the top of the hill, which is in Medford territory, and the CD dept itself is deeply in Medford borders.)

@mem_somerville

So happy for her. The powers that be don’t understand that standing in our way just makes us stronger

@mem_somerville congrats for her , so nice to see a muslim woman got a success like that
@mem_somerville This brings me so much joy. Hers was the first story I recall hearing (on This American Life) about what America was doing to its people. Go Rümeysa!!

@mem_somerville The best way to defeat fascism:

Don't get mad, get educated. THEN get mad.

Rümeysa also wrote a really good editorial for the Guardian that was published last week:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/feb/18/rumeysa-ozturk-trauma-children-ice-gaza

@mem_somerville

After my ICE arrest, I learned one crucial way to respond to trauma. We can all take part

I was detained for co-writing a op-ed about Gaza as a student at Tufts. My experience has only made me feel more connected to others facing oppression

The Guardian