As one of only thirteen students to be selected for Florida’s Gubernatorial Fellows Program, Sara Turner is in a fortunate position.

Sara Turner

Florida Gubernatorial Fellow, Art Education and Museum Studies

As one of only thirteen students to be selected for Florida’s Gubernatorial Fellows Program, Sara Turner is in a fortunate position.

The program, established by Governor Jeb Bush, provides leadership training to academically outstanding students who are interested in public service. Sara will serve one year as Arts Liaison to First Lady Columba Bush helping to promote the arts, particularly in education. The placement is perfect for a master of art education student.

Her tasks cover a range of arts-related projects. She is assisting with Florida PRIDE, a program that invites art submissions from public school children. The final selections appear on the covers of both the Governor’s and Lt. Governor’s annual holiday greeting cards.

Florida’s Department of Health is receiving Sara’s assistance on the upcoming opening of the Museum of Public Health and Medicine in Jacksonville. She also serves as an arts mentor at Sabal Palms Elementary School and as a docent for the Governor's Mansion.

With all of her energy, it is fitting, then, that Sara serves as one of Florida State’s Lady Spirithunters. She spreads Seminole spirit through her service—chair of the 2005 Homecoming Banner Committee and co-chair of the 2006 Dance Marathon. She restarted, and is president of, FSU’s student chapter of the National Art Education Association. As an intern at the Museum of Fine Arts, she developed teaching trunks and then presented them at the Community Classroom Consortium's Beyond the Blackboard workshop. And she volunteers for WAVE (Workshop for Adult Vocational Enrichment), a local, non-profit organization that gives adults with developmental disabilities opportunities for music therapy, art projects, dances, and job skill training.

Her goal is to complete her Ph.D. studies at FSU. Then, the wider community will be fortunate, as Sara plans to apply her education and experience to arts-related public service.