My name is Claudia Carolina Serna, and I was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. I can say that as many families in Mexico are experiencing Domestic Violence, mine was one of them, but one of the good things is that my parents gave us an education. I graduated as an Accountant, and I worked for many years in my career where I developed Administration skills in Mexico.
When I was 26 years old I got married and I came to the USA, with many barriers against me, among them the language, domestic violence, being an immigrant, etc.
My experiences have not been easy. I have twins with special needs who were born prematurely. Every day they fight against their disabilities to be better at school and I’m very proud of them. I wanted to improve my situation, so I went to a multilevel English class where I could improve my English.
I had to start all over with my education here. I went to North Orange County Community College District to finish my High School education, and I graduated with honors in 2017. Recently I received my Criminal Justice Diploma at UEI College with Honors. I studied Criminal Justice because I want to be involved in the principles of law and because I believe in Justice.
The reason I started volunteering with the Orange County Family Justice Center Foundation is because I can identify with the Domestic Violence Victims, and I want to help break that cycle of abuse, in so much as I was there like the clients I work with. I’m also serve as a board member of “Grupo de Autismo Angeles” which is a non-profit organization that motivates parents with kids that have the Autism Spectrum to get services for their kids.
