Sheba Turk had an unconventional journey to the news studio. Through multiple major changes and student debt nearly derailing her dreams, Turk made it to WWL-TV in her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. The news anchor has quickly become a must-watch every morning for NOLA residents. Her story is an inspirational one, and deserves the attention in this Sheba Turk wiki.
| About Sheba Turk | |
|---|---|
| Age | 35 Years |
| Birth | February 15, 1989 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Gender | Female |
| Siblings | Jye Turk, Jaron Turk |
| Parents | John Carl Turk, Sharon Gaines Turk |
| Job | News anchor at WWL-TV |
| Alumni | St. Mary’s Dominican High School, New York University |
| Worked for | Producer and reporter at WWL-TV |
| The 504 (WUPL) | |
| Book | Off Air: My Journey to the Anchor Desk |
Sheba Turk’s Family
Sheba Turk was born on February 15, 1989, and is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the only daughter of three children born to John Carl Turk and Sharon Gaines Turk.
John was diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of 2017. He passed away in December 2019, at the age of 64. He is survived by his wife, Sharon; sons, Jye Turk and Jaron Turk; and daughter, Sheba.
Sheba’s older brother, Jye, was an educator and is currently a consultant for businesses that want to practice diversity and inclusivity. The youngest, Jaron, is a tax accountant in Lafayette.
View this post on Instagram
Sheba Turk’s Education
Sheba Turk graduated from St. Mary’s Dominican High School. She had enrolled in New York University’s pre-med program.
She was keen on becoming veterinarian for most of her life. But at NYU, she couldn’t decide on a future career.
“I would take the class on monkeys and decided I would be a biological anthropologist or a couple days I wanted to be a dolphin trainer,” Turk recalled. “I was all over the place and it was because I was ignoring what I really wanted to do.”
She loved writing, but didn’t see it as a quick and viable career. She wanted a job straight out of college, until she lost interest in pre-med.
She enrolled in a creative writing course and changed her major on a whim. But her dreams of becoming a print journalist were hit with debt.
“I owed NYU $24,000 in tuition that I either had to pay to go back to school or for them to release my transcripts so that I could finish school. When I think about that time, it was really a low point for me,” she said.
Turk had flown home for Christmas, but had no money to return to New York. Nonetheless, she didn’t give up on finishing college and, with her mother’s help, managed to get her transcripts released. With that, she transferred to the University of New Orleans.
She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English two years later in 2011. She returned to UNO, now an established broadcast journalist, as the 2019 commencement speaker.
Sheba Turk’s Career
Sheba Turk began her career as a producer and reporter at WWL-TV in 2011. In 2013, she was a traffic reporter, which led to anchoring the morning news and hosting The 504 on the sister station, WUPL. While The 504 concluded after five years, Turk continues in her position as the morning news anchor.
Turk authored the book Off Air: My Journey to the Anchor Desk, which was released in 2018. The book traces her path to the newsdesk through financial troubles and self doubt.
View this post on Instagram