SERENA: S440-SAN

October

2025

Serena is now 16 years old and was promoted to the fifth grade this year. She continues to make strong progress in her studies, and her teacher says she is making great strides and succeeding in class. Her dedication to learning remains steady, and she continues to show growth academically. This year, Serena shared that math is her favorite subject. She enjoys working through problems and challenging herself to improve. Her confidence in the classroom continues to grow, and she takes pride in her accomplishments. Despite the hardships she faces at home, Serena carries the most beautiful, bright smile. Her positive spirit shines through even during difficult times. She continues to live with her mother and remains committed to building a better future for herself. Her teacher still describes her as hardworking and determined, and she continues to be a quiet role model for those around her. Serena’s strength, resilience, and joyful heart are truly inspiring. She is proof that even in the face of challenges, hope and determination can shine brightly.

November

2024

Serena was promoted to the fourth grade this year, and she continues to excel in her studies. English is her favorite subject, and she enjoys reading and writing with great enthusiasm. She still lives with her mom and dreams of becoming a seamstress one day, a goal she works toward with passion. Her teacher describes her as extremely hardworking, determined, and committed to her studies. Serena is also a great role model for her peers, always encouraging others and setting a positive example. Serena’s dedication to both her education and her dreams shows that with hard work, anything is possible. Sponsored by: Joyce Jorgensen

November

2023

Serena has been promoted to the third grade! She had a fantastic school year and performed exceptionally well. Serena continues to live with her mother and dreams of becoming a seamstress one day. Sponsored by: Joyce Jorgensen

October

2022

Serena was promoted to second grade! During our interview, she was all smiles and looked healthy. She is very grateful for the opportunity to attend school. She kept saying to us, “thank my sponsor please”. Her favorite subject is math and she continues to live with her mother. She still wants to be a seamstress one day. Sponsored by: Joyce Jorgensen

September

2021

Thanks to the generous donation from Joyce Jorgensen, Serena has been re-enrolled into school for the 2021/2022 school year. She was promoted to the 1st grade this year and still wants to be a seamstress when she grows up. One way she helps her mom is by getting water in the morning and night for her family. Access to water is limited in villages like Sanniquellie. One has to walk to a nearby well, creek or flowing stream to fetch water in a bucket and head tote it back to their house. She’s a hard worker both in and out of school.

September

2020

Thanks to the generous donation from Joyce Jorgensen, Serena has been re-enrolled into school for the 2020/2021 school year. She is in the kindergarten-2 grade this year. During registration, we learned that she broke her hand while playing with her friends. But she’s recovering now. She still wants to be a seamstress when she grows up. She continues to live with her mother.

October

2019

Meet Serena, who has been generously sponsored by Mary Thayer. She is 10 years old and in the Kindergarten-1 this year. She lives in Sanniquellie, Liberia with her mother. Serena’s father abandoned her at birth. Her mother is single and unemployed with 3 children whom she’s having a difficult time supporting. Serena hopes to be a seamstress when she grows up.

Please note: the reason Serena’s hair was shaved off is because her grandmother passed away a month ago: In some parts of Liberia, women, especially first daughters and wives, are known to shave off their heads when grieving their husbands, mothers, fathers, and grandparent’s death, as a sign of respect to the dead and as a new beginning.