You have every right to protect your personal information especially considering the data leak incident in Turkey. GitHub Education usually asks for a real name to verify that you’re a real student, but that doesn’t mean you must display your legal name publicly.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Keep your profile pseudonym/private: You can maintain your chosen display name (not your legal name) on your GitHub profile.

2. Submit verification privately: When re-submitting your GitHub Student Developer Pack application, include your real name only in the uploaded document (e.g., student ID, enrollment proof), and mention clearly in the message box or support email that

   “For privacy and security reasons related to a national data leak, I do not wish to display my real name publicly on my GitHub profile. However, my verification documents include my real name for confirmation.”

3. Contact GitHub Education Support: If it gets rejected again, open a ticket at https://support.github.com/contact under “GitHub Education → GitHub Student Developer Pack” and explain the situation. They’ve accepted private verifications in similar cases before.

You don’t need to expose your real name publicly you only need to provide it privately for verification. Privacy and safety are valid and respected reasons for this request.