I’m an early‑career founder and strategist working at the intersection of brand, systems, and education. I was born in Ohrid, raised between North Macedonia and Serbia, shaped in Armenia at UWC Dilijan, and now study Management & Business (with an Entrepreneurship minor) as a Davis UWC and AOP Scholar at Skidmore College. Today, my focus is building JUSU Group and its brands while keeping my work grounded in clear outcomes, not noise.
My path so far…
I grew up moving between North Macedonia and Serbia, in a family with deep Ottoman Turkish roots and a lot of complexity. That cross‑border upbringing, plus 11 languages, forced me early to think about identity, belonging, and how people read you based on where you’re from and how you show up.
In 2022, I joined UWC Dilijan in Armenia, ranking first across all rounds of the North Macedonia selection process. At UWC, I completed the IB Diploma while organizing TEDxYouth@UWCDilijan, directing admissions for DiliMUN, co‑creating the DiliSprouts school‑garden and nutrition project, teaching sustainable arts at Dilijan International School (DIS), helping launch ATLAS Magazine, and helping build youth‑climate initiatives like LCOY Armenia. That period taught me how to turn personal urgency into disciplined, collaborative work.
Alongside UWC, I completed Yale Young Global Scholars (and later became a YGS Ambassador) and the Babson College Summer Study (EPS110), and took part in Erasmus+ exchanges across Europe. These experiences gave me both entrepreneurial training and a broader sense of how ambition, privilege, and opportunity actually operate across countries.
In 2024, I moved to Saratoga Springs to study at Skidmore College. I’m pursuing a B.S. in Management & Business with an Entrepreneurship minor as a Davis UWC and AOP Scholar, while building JUSU Group, writing for Skidmore News, working in Communications, Marketing & News at Skidmore’s Office of Communications and Marketing, and taking on operator roles in spaces like legal tech, fashion, and retail.
What I work on
You can think of my current work in a few buckets:
JUSU Group Corp. (Founder & CEO)
JUSU is the holding company and strategic backbone behind several brands:
- SlayHood – evolving from a youth magazine into a cultural marketing concept focused on brands that want to shape culture rather than chase it.
- Luminatrix – an emerging fashion concept oriented around “couture for leaders,” tied to presence, discipline, and long‑term image, not just trend cycles.
- EmrahX – my personal hub: this site, the blog, the podcast, and the place where I document what I’m building and learning.
OpenBar USA Inc. (COO/CPO & Board Director)
I help run operations and product for OpenBar, a legal‑access platform designed for people who know they need legal help but don’t know where to start. My focus is on structured intake, triage, and the systems that make it more efficient and ethical for lawyers to connect with potential clients.
Fashion, retail, and communications work
I’ve served as COO for Duende NY (an Afro‑Caribbean inspired fashion brand focused on “emotional luxury”) and as CMO for Saratoga Closet Consignment and related bridal brands, working on marketing, positioning, and storytelling around inventory and experience. On campus, I work in Communications, Marketing & News at Skidmore’s OCM and write for Skidmore News, contributing to official storytelling and student‑focused coverage.
Youth, climate, and education initiatives
Earlier in my journey, I co‑created and supported projects like DiliSprouts, the inaugural LCOY Armenia, and UNICEF‑linked initiatives such as #SadiSiDoma and climateedu.mk. Across these, my work has been about turning broad goals—mental health, climate awareness, youth voice—into specific actions, workshops, admissions systems, and campaigns.
HOW I THINK
I’ve learned that big stories only matter if they hold up under pressure. I care about clarity, accountability, and building things that can still function when the initial excitement wears off. That means I’d rather show you a simple system that actually works than a flashy concept that collapses in a month.
- Receipts over performance – I prefer concrete roles, dates, and outputs over vague hype.
- Systems before scale – I focus on building processes and structures before trying to grow anything too quickly.
- Context matters – I’ve seen how culture, class, and geography change what’s “possible,” so I try not to give one‑size‑fits‑all advice.
- Ambition with boundaries – I’m unapologetic about wanting a lot, but I’ve also learned the hard way that burning out doesn’t help anyone.
AI is part of how I work, but not the point of my work. I use it to delegate narrow tasks (ideation, outline drafts), improve my descriptions of what I’m trying to build, practice discernment by comparing options, and support diligence through checks and documentation. Final judgment and accountability stay human.