“If you only look at the outside, you’re just seeing the wrapping paper — not the gift.”
As guests gather around the table for a night of connection across differences, sharing a meal with friends both old and new, Sel and Angie Buyuksarac, 2026 OneJax Humanitarian Award honorees, can’t help but feel pride in the scene before them, a scene that grew out of their own journey of hardship and grace.
Sel and Angie’s story is not just one of starting over in a new country; it is about choosing to turn hardship into hospitality and gratitude into action. While living in his home country of Turkey, Sel earned his engineering degree and began volunteering with nonprofits building schools, a project that eventually led him to the Philippines in 1996 where he met his future wife, Angie. Angie, an accountant by profession and a single mother of two children, Arianne and Andrew, first met Sel working as a realtor when he accompanied a friend who was buying a house from her.
“Angie was playing hard to get at first,” Sel said. She said she doesn’t want to date; she just wants to be friends. Everybody knows I’m a very persistent person. Usually, it doesn’t work to keep pushing the ladies, but I believe destiny brings people together. Before that, I was never thinking about getting married, but when life comes together, sometimes it just clicks.”
They met in June 2001 and were married on October 24, 2001. From the very beginning, they shared a sense of purpose and the desire to build a meaningful life together. With courage and determination, they chose to begin a new chapter in Jacksonville. It was a fresh start filled with dreams, plans, and commitment. As a family, Sel, Angie, Arianne and Andrew, stepped into the unknown as a family. And then, the world changed.
Shortly after their plans were set, the United States was shaken by the September 11 attacks. The aftermath, combined with culture shock, fear, and the struggle to find work and belonging, made their transition even more difficult. Their original plan had been to stay with family in Jacksonville, but when they arrived, those plans changed.
There was one night when they had no place to go and had to sleep in their car and taking whatever work they could find. Sel and Angie worked tirelessly to build a new life from almost nothing. Uncertainty became part of daily life, and each morning brought new challenges. Yet even in the hardest moments, they refused to let fear have the final word.
In the middle of uncertainty, kindness found them. A woman working at an apartment complex chose compassion over policy and gave them a chance to rent despite having no credit history. A Filipino dentist saw potential in Angie and offered not just employment, but sponsorship and belief in her future. A local gym owner took a chance on Sel, offering work when they needed it most. Sel and Angie are reminded of what it truly means to be humanitarian by the individuals who uplifted their dignity and restored their sense of belonging.
That experience, someone stepping in during their most vulnerable moment, became a model for how they now show up for others in their community.
“He was telling me he was watching us, how we never stop. We just keep on going and keep on thinking what is next, what is necessary,” Sel said. “He said, ‘I need somebody like you who has the dignity to care for my business when I’m not here.’ That was a big moment I’ll never forget.”
They didn’t stop there. During those hard times, Sel remembers dreaming with Angie about opening a school in Jacksonville and finding their community.
As their footing became stable, that dream started turning into a reality. Sel and Angie were determined never to let their hardships stop them. “Before, it was just a dream,” Angie said. “There was always a question mark in your mind, is it going to happen? You’re in a foreign land; you don’t know what the consequences or results will be. But I first trusted God and thought about what happened to us, our life experience and family experience. It made us stronger, to dream more and pursue more. That’s why when we were talking about it, I told Sel, I think we can do it, let’s try.”
Angie never told Sel that his dreams were unnecessary or that they should wait until their own lives were “fixed” before helping others.
For Sel and Angie, finding partners and opening the River City Science Academy, a public charter school that has given thousands of students new pathways to learn, dream, and lead was almost as meaningful as buying their home and opening their doors to the community for Ramadan Iftar Dinners, welcoming people of all faiths and no faith at all.
Knowing how challenging fasting can be, Sel remembered growing up and going to different houses to break the fast together, and how that sense of community made the month even more meaningful. Sel and Angie decided to invite a small group of friends for Angie’s first Ramadan in their home in 2007, people of different backgrounds and religions to share their culture, foster understanding, and build support.
The next year, those friends brought friends. The dinners became an annual tradition. Many of them non-Muslim, non-fasting guests and everyone enjoyed the experience.
For Sel and Angie, humanitarianism is not abstract. It shows up in who they invite, who they sit next to, and how they use their own home as a place of refuge, curiosity, and care. “In 2016 we saw that the world was separated; everybody had a label, you’re this, you’re that,” Sel said. “What can we do? I always say people talk a lot, complain a lot, protest a lot. But what action do you take? Action is important. Without action, all the dreams, all the visions, they’re nothing. You need to bring them into action.”
That commitment to move from words to action mirrors the heart of the OneJax mission: building a more accepting community not only through dialogue, but through lived experience and shared spaces.
Sel and Angie became very intentional with their invitations, welcoming groups from different backgrounds, races, religions, political perspectives, and professions to sit side by side. Their goal was to foster the kind of respect, understanding, and connection that OneJax champions, where differences are not erased, but embraced as part of a stronger, more just community.
“At first people didn’t feel comfortable, but later on, everybody said, ‘We are the same,’” Sel said. “We have more in common than in difference. You must have an open mind. If you only look at the outside, you’re just seeing the wrapping paper, not the gift. That wrapping paper cannot give value to a person.”
In those moments, the message is simple and powerful: we may arrive as strangers, but around this table, We Are One.
“For me, my proudest moment is when I see people embrace each other and truly understand one another,” Angie said. “Even when division exists, this Ramadan dinner gives hope that it can fade. Hearing each person’s unique story reminds me how powerful it is simply to listen.” Around their table, “We Are One” is not a theme, it’s what you feel when you watch people who once saw each other as strangers begin to see each other as neighbors.
Even during their most challenging times, Sel and Angie chose to continue opening their doors.
“We decided no matter what’s happening to us, we will continue, even during the time when we were about to lose the house,” Angie said.
“When you’re worried about things, it’s really hard to give back or think about others,” Sel said. “But I think we should always keep on going. If we get together, work together, we can solve problems. I think everything can be better if we start hearing each other and being less selfish.
In their own way, Sel and Angie have built a living classroom for empathy and respect, one that echoes everything the OneJax Humanitarian Awards were created to honor.
“Empathy is a big word,” Angie said. “It covers being kind to each other, smiling at one another, understanding and not judging people. Sometimes it’s easy for us to judge. I just hope that this community, this world, will heal.”
Sel and Angie believe that healing begins one story, one meal, one shared table at a time and that in those small, courageous acts of coming together, “We Are One” becomes real.
Join OneJax in celebrating Sel and Angie Buyuksarac at the 2026 Humanitarian Awards Event on April 30 as they receive the Silver Medallion awarded to individuals who exemplify the highest ideals of humanitarianism, respect, and understanding.
Angie Buyuksarac is a compassionate community leader and advocate for education, service, and unity. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and an MBA, combining her professional expertise with a lifelong commitment to giving back. In 2002, Angie and her husband, Sel Buyuksarac, moved to Jacksonville to start a new life—one grounded in faith, gratitude, and service. From the very beginning, she played a vital role in supporting the establishment of River City Science Academy (RCSA), which has since grown into one of Jacksonville’s most successful and inclusive public charter school networks.
Together, Angie and Sel have dedicated their lives to building bridges across Jacksonville’s diverse communities through service, hospitality, and inclusion. Their annual Friendship & Gratitude Dinners have welcomed thousands of neighbors, educators, and leaders from all backgrounds to share food and meaningful conversations that foster understanding and compassion.
Angie is admired for her humility, warmth, and quiet strength. Her kindness and generosity continue to inspire all who know her, reflecting her belief that true success lies in serving others.
Sel Buyuksarac is a visionary educator, civic leader, and bridge-builder whose life’s work centers on uniting people through education, service, and shared humanity. As the Co-Founder and Director of Engagement at River City Science Academy, he has helped shape one of Jacksonville’s most successful and inclusive public charter school networks—serving more than 5,000 students and families with a mission rooted in respect, compassion, self-confidence, and accountability.
Beyond education, Sel is deeply engaged in the life of his community. He serves with OneJax, GlobalJax, Rotary International, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, and the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, where he champions equity, dialogue, and opportunity for all. In addition, Sel is an elected Supervisor for the Duval Soil & Water Conservation District Group 5, where he advocates for environmental stewardship and sustainable community development.
Sel’s leadership reflects a rare blend of humility and vision—driven by the belief that meaningful change begins with service, kindness, and collaboration. His recent recognition as a 2025 Jacksonville Daily Record Trailblazer Award honoree highlights his innovative spirit, integrity, and lifelong commitment to making a positive impact. Together with his wife, Angie, Sel hosts interfaith dinners and cultural gatherings that bring people of all backgrounds and beliefs together to share food, stories, and friendship. Through these efforts, they have welcomed thousands of guests into their home and hearts, fostering understanding and connection across Northeast Florida.
Sel’s journey is marked by resilience, gratitude, and an unwavering commitment to leaving every space better than he found it. Guided by faith and fueled by compassion, he continues to inspire others to build bridges of hope—making Jacksonville a stronger, more inclusive, and more united community for generations to come.