Sel Buyuksarac says the best advice he has received is to focus on developing relationships, not chasing a career or a salary.
Money and careers can come and go, he said, but “if you build honest, real relationships, it stays with you forever.”
Buyuksarac has put that advice to work in Northeast Florida, where he is co-founder and director of engagement for the River City Science Academy and serves on numerous community boards.
He says he is committed to building bridges between different cultural and faith groups and making Jacksonville a better place to live, and his resume shows it.
Groups in which he is involved include Rotary International, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund and the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission. He recently was elected as supervisor of Zone 5 for the Duval Soil and Water Conservation District
“He and his wife, Angie, host annual interfaith dinners during Ramadan and work to foster inclusion and dialogue throughout the region,” his Trailblazer Award nomination reads. “He has championed initiatives for STEM education, workforce readiness, and international collaboration, and he is a frequent mentor to young professionals and entrepreneurs. What sets Sel apart is not only the scale of his accomplishments, but his humility, integrity, and relentless focus on impact. His leadership is marked by innovation, compassion, and a deep commitment to leaving Northeast Florida better than he found it.”
Raised in Turkey as the son of career educators, Buyuksarac helped expand the River City Science Academy from a startup to a network of public charter schools serving more than 5,000 students across six campuses with a focus on academic and character excellence.
He holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering, a bachelor of science in business administration, and a master of business administration, according to online biographies.
Asked if he considers himself a trailblazer, he said, “I think my life story is showing that I did some trailblazing.”
That includes emigrating from Turkey to the Philippines and then to the U.S. with no connections in either country and inviting people into his home for cultural and religious discussions.
“And everything has turned out that it was worth taking the risk,” he said.