Serena is a 7th generation Ventura County, and grew up in Ventura and Monterey areas. She was an honors student at North Monterey County High School. She took a gap year between high school and college to spend a year as an exchange student through AFS in Switzerland.  She studied Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara and is a Master of Public Administration with a focus on International Development Management through Middlebury Institute of International Studies Monterey. While at UC Santa Barbara, she was a student ambassador to China and her artwork was displayed on the Great Wall in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Serena believes that poverty should not exist, and her career goal is to facilitate and empower people, families, and communities with the skills, tools, and resources they need to achieve sustainable prosperity. She served as an AmeriCorps with Habitat Humanity Anchorage, Alaska; was an intern with OGRA Foundation in Kisumu, Kenya to prepare children orphaned by AIDS for a successful adulthood; and now works with ShelterBox USA to ensure low-income families in developing countries can sustainably recover from disaster and return to the good work of rebuilding their lives and communities. Serena also loves hiking & backpacking, a good cheese and wine pairing, and spending time in her garden. She lives in Carpinteria with her boyfriend Albert and cat Brie.