Serena is from Los Angeles and is passionate about foster youth mental health and
wellness. They dedicate their time at work as a Project Coordinator at Public Counsel. There she works for the Transition Aged Youth (TAY) team serving current and former foster youth aged 16-26 years old by screening them for eligibility for TAY legal services.

Believing that foster youth deserve the opportunity to create systematic change in child welfare policies that impact them, “nothing about us without us”, Serena channels their
passion into action through NFYI, focusing on creating youth centered solutions to
dismantling barriers to accessing mental health services and streamlining a smoother process to receive such services. She aims to create a catered mental health app for foster youth.

Beyond their advocacy work, she is a devoted wife, mother of one and two dogs and
delights in daily walks. Serena enjoys indulging in her creative abilities. She sings and
works on vocal exercises, listens to music, draws, hikes, paints, visits nature, goes to
concerts, and enjoys time with her family and friends. Through the Congressional
Leadership Academy, she hopes to gain more knowledge on federal foster care policies and advocacy efforts and build her networking skills to apply them to creating more catered mental health services for foster youth.