A Place to call home

THERE'S NO SHORTAGE of talent here in Mueller, and one of our newest neighbors, Hilal Isler, is proof of that. She recently moved to the neighborhood with her husband, Volkan, and their 14-year-old son. 

The family relocated to Austin when Volkan accepted a position as a professor in the University of Texas Department of Computer Science. As luck would have it, the move came with an opportunity for Hilal, too. A PhD graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, she previously taught social justice at the University of Minnesota and now serves as an associate professor of Instruction in UT’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. 

We met at a neighborhood park on a crisp, sunny November morning, the kind of day that reminds you why people fall in love with Texas winters. Naturally, our conversation began with the weather. 

“The snow gets old!” Hilal says with a grin, after 17 years in Minnesota. When I asked about her first impression of Austin, her answer came easily. 

“As soon as we arrived at the airport, there was a live band playing. We knew right away we were in a special place.”  

They visited in the spring, a fun time to be in Austin with sunshine and mild weather as opposed to snow and gray skies. They searched for homes close to the university and loved many of the central Austin neighborhoods that they visited, like Hyde Park. But, ultimately, they fell hard for the charm of Mueller. I asked her what they love most about it. 

“We love that Mueller is walkable, diverse, and family-oriented,” she says. “There’s such a strong sense of community here, and the parks and green spaces are beautiful.” 

“I also love the Farmers’ Market, the whole vibe of it with kids playing and music in the background. It’s so special,” she adds. “And H-E-B! What a revelation!” 

INTERNATIONAL HISTORY

Long before Minnesota, Isler’s story had already spanned continents. Born in Australia to Turkish parents (both professors), she was raised in Canada, Riyadh, and Turkey. 

“As a kid, I didn’t like moving so much,” she admits. “I was shy, and it was hard to make friends. But now I see it was a blessing in disguise.” 

Through all those moves, she discovered that books and libraries were the constants that grounded her. No matter which city landed in, she could always seek out libraries and find a good book to read. That love of stories and sense of cultural in-between-ness eventually inspired her debut novel, “Har Mar,” which released in July of 2025. 

“I wrote these stories partly out of frustration,” she explains. “I didn’t see authentic portrayals of my part of the world. What I found often felt reductionist. I wanted to tell the stories of the women I knew to broaden the conversation.”  

Isler’s writing has appeared in Rolling Stone India, The Guardian (US), The Paris Review, and many other well-known publications. A 2023 McKnight Fellow in Creative Prose, she has written countless articles and essays. Her global perspective gives her work a rare blend of empathy and insight, exploring borders, identity, and the Turkish diaspora with a voice both lyrical and wise. 

Now, as she settles into life in Austin, Isler continues to teach, write, and explore her new community. Her story reminds us that every neighbor brings a world of experiences with them and that’s exactly what makes Mueller such a rich, welcoming place to call home.