Jason Puwalski – FSU alumnus (B.S. Political Science and Public Relations ’24) – completed his term as a member of the 2023-2024 Class of Florida Gubernatorial Fellows and is poised to enter FSU’s MAAPP program in 2024.
The Florida Gubernatorial Fellowship is a nine-month tenure in Florida’s capital in which the Fellows receive on-the-job training and a view into the inner workings of the government. In this position, Puwalski worked at the Florida Department of Corrections in Communications and Legislative Affairs.
“Over the past year as a Fellow in the Florida Gubernatorial Fellows Program, I’ve had the privilege to work at the Florida Department of Corrections in the Offices of Legislative Affairs and Communications,” Puwalski said. “Through the Fellows program, I have expanded my professional network, developed leadership skills, and gained invaluable government relations experience, particularly in corrections policy.”
To be selected as a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow, the individual must be passionate about public service, dedicated to making Florida a better place, and able to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds.
“One of the main reasons I decided to come to FSU is because of the opportunities I have found in state government,” Puwalski said. “Through all of these experiences, I have connected with amazing professors and professionals in Tallahassee and across the state.”
Puwalski also served as a President’s Ambassador at the Office of University Relations, Ambassador of the Student Alumni Association, a member of Garnet & Gold Key Honor Society, Executive Director at the Office of Governmental Affairs, and Student Senator in Florida State’s Student Government Association during his time at FSU.
Puwalski dual majored in Political Science and Public Relations to develop a better understanding of how to effectively communicate in politics and public policy. In the Political Science Department, he highlights the customizability of the curriculum and the closeness of the faculty and students, saying that the “the academic and leadership opportunities and the availability of the professors make the College feel small and welcoming.” Puwalski also credits his Public Relations coursework and experience as being as “close to the real world as it gets”and that understanding how to “create compelling messaging and communicate with diverse audiences is vital to politics and policymaking.”
“Through my academic endeavors, extracurricular opportunities, leadership roles, and work experiences, my involvement at FSU has allowed me to earn two valuable bachelor’s degrees, work at the highest levels of state government, and has connected me to my greatest friends, outstanding faculty, and successful professionals across the country,” Puwalski said. “I have acclimated to professional and social environments and have grown a large network in state and federal government and politics, as well as in business.”
After graduating this past spring, Puwalski is currently in Southwest Florida working in political consulting for the summer and will begin the Masters of Applied American Politics & Policy (MAAPP) program here at Florida State, while also working full-time, in Fall 2024.
To learn more about the previous class of Florida Gubernatorial Fellows, visit floridafellows.com/life-as-a-fellow/current-class. For more information about the Masters of Applied American Politics & Policy program, visit coss.fsu.edu/maapp.