This is where I want to live. I hope I can make it.” That’s what Turkish-born Aras Toker thought on his first visit to San Francisco when he was 13. Five years later, he returned and spent the next ten years navigating the U.S. immigration system, applying for different visas, all of which cost about $12,000.
Now, he’s a citizen of Turkey and the U.S., but Toker says the thought of not getting a visa and having to leave his adopted home was “nerve-wracking.” “I wanted to stay, but that doesn’t make it happen.” The system, he says, “has good intentions but is ever-changing — a labyrinth you have to figure out.”
From tourist to student to employee to citizen
Toker began figuring out the immigration system right after high school in Istanbul. In 2000, at age 18, he returned to California, hoping to study there. He had his tourist visa changed to an F-1 visa, given to foreign students, and enrolled in college. He worked hard on his English — without having had many opportunities to speak it in Turkey, he had only a “fundamental knowledge” when he arrived.
After studying mathematics and economics at UCLA, Toker needed a job with a company that would invest time and money to sponsor him so he could stay in the U.S. Only one company offered him a job: Citibank, the consumer division of the big U.S. financial-services corporation Citigroup. The company paid for a 12-month employment authorization, called Optional Practical Training, as well as Toker’s H-1B visa, and employed him for six years, first, in New York and, later, in San Francisco. After leaving the company, he got an MBA at the University of San Francisco. In 2011, Toker and his American girlfriend got married, which allowed him to become a U.S. citizen.
Living the American Dream
Today, Toker lives with his wife and son near Sausalito, California, and runs a health-care start-up. A proud immigrant, he understands the contrasting viewpoints Americans have of immigration. Some “fear people coming in, taking their jobs.” But, he says, “I’d worry more about AI stealing our jobs than immigrants.” Others say “this country was built on immigrants, and everybody is an immigrant.”
“Diversity is what makes America unique and great,” Toker says, adding that the immigrants he’s met don’t want to abuse the system but to contribute to the economy and society. “The people running this country have to communicate the value of immigrants and what they’re doing.”
One of the things Toker likes about the U.S. is the “mindset that you can achieve anything.” Success isn’t guaranteed, he says, but there are systems in place that make it possible. His advice is to “come with a mindset that you’re bringing your own culture. That’s beautiful. Don’t change that, but don’t demand the same thing from the U.S.” Germany, for example, “takes care of its people. Here, we’re more individualistic. We don’t rely much on the government; you’ve got to find your own way.”
From Wall Street to peace of mind...
As an immigrant from Turkey, it was a dream come true for Aras Toker to work on Wall Street, but he says the highly competitive environment has a dark side. This reached a breaking point in the financial crisis of 2008. Some investment banks went under, and many of his friends lost their jobs. Toker feared losing his job at Citibank, which would have meant losing his visa and having to leave the U.S. But Citibank got bailed out, and Toker was able to stay. However, the stress of the crisis, combined with burnout, had taken a toll on his health.
Diagnosed with the chronic inflammatory condition Crohn’s disease, Toker spent eight years healing himself through diet, exercise and meditation, before transitioning into health care. In 2020, he co-founded the start-up Peace of Mind.
With personalized digital programs for mental well-being, Peace of Mind helps companies prevent employee burnout. In 2021, the company was accepted into the accelerator program NEC X, which Toker says is committed to “using technology to improve society.”
His focus is now on new clients and funding. “We’re getting some good initial traction and looking for more hockey-stick growth,” he says.
Toker says the U.S. has more of a “hustle culture” than Europe does, but people everywhere can suffer burnout from too much work. Wall Street and his journey into health care have taught him to “live for today because nothing is given for tomorrow.” In his experience, developing a holistic perspective and self-awareness, and finding balance in everything, are the key to a happy and healthy life.