I recently completed a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He was the founder of the Turkish republic, my home country. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Modernized Turkey, created a secular society, and gave women legal and civil freedom. Appointed woman the right to vote, to hold office. He was the first to create a day to honor children. As the first president of Turkey in 1923, he was a man ahead of his time and his contributions to not only the country of Turkey but also the world is admirable. I felt compelled to honor him and his contributions and to watch my granddaughter stand in awe of the portrait knowing the weight and the importance of his contributions to women’s rights was an incredible moment. I chose to share this today, August 30th is celebrated as Victory Day, it is the day of liberation when Turkey became a country at the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.