From students to alumni to faculty, it doesn’t take long to run into a veteran on Methodist University’s campus. But, there’s also a large group of MU staff who have selflessly served our country, including MU Academic and Career Advisor Rocio Serna ’18.
From students to alumni to faculty, it doesn’t take long to run into a veteran on Methodist University’s campus. But, there’s also a large group of MU staff who have selflessly served our country, including MU Academic and Career Advisor Rocio Serna ’18.
Serna’s story began on the other side of the country in San Diego, California, where she was born and spent her early years.
“Technically, I’m a second-generation American, but it feels like I’m a first-generation American,” she added. “My father is from Mexico and while my mother is American, she spent most of her life in Mexico. When she moved to the U.S., it felt like she was an immigrant since she didn’t speak English and wasn’t educated here. I essentially grew up with one foot in Mexico and the other in the U.S. It was a struggle.”
In 2004, Serna joined the U.S. Army and faced a major culture shock at her first duty station in Fort Drum, New York.
“My suitcase was packed with flip flops, shorts, tank tops. When I saw snow on the ground in the middle of the summer, I knew I was in trouble,” Serna said.
It didn’t take long before she was sent to Afghanistan as an aviation aircraft refueler under Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006 – a humbling time for Serna.
“I have seen men and women operate in fight or flight environments and there is something raw in war zones that either brings the best or worst out of people,” she said. “Fortunately, I saw the best. Once, an infantry soldier showed me kindness by offering me his last bootstrap after mine snapped. At the time, we weren’t sure of when the next resupply helicopter would come to our remote Afghanistan base.”
Serna also pointed to a soldier’s smile during a mortar attack, laughs of Afghan children, and a cup of tea shared by a parent in the Taliban area as further examples of kindness in the midst of a difficult environment.
“Those experiences have helped me see the best of people, even when they don’t see it themselves,” she said.
In 2007, Serna returned to the U.S. and moved to the Fayetteville area with her then-husband stationed at Fort Bragg.She spent seven more years in the U.S. Army before deciding she needed a change.
“I was a huge X-Files fan and was influenced by my mother’s love and gratitude for this country. I always knew I wanted to work in psychology, law enforcement, or service,” Serna said. “After 10 years in the Army, I came to a fork in the road. I had to decide whether I wanted to pursue a career in the military or get a fresh start by doing something else.”
Serna took a leap of faith and enrolled at Methodist University in 2014. While juggling bills and being a mother to three children, Serna managed to excel and earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Clinical Counseling in 2018.
Although Serna hoped to pursue a master’s degree in Psychology, she decided to prioritize her family by taking a job as an exceptional children teacher at John Griffin Middle School.
“Another fork in the road appeared. I loved working there, but I didn’t go to Methodist University for teaching, and I wanted to make my way back into mental health counseling,” Serna added.
Serna’s alma mater came calling and MU hired Serna as an administrative assistant for the College of Arts and Humanities in 2019.
Earlier this year, Serna started a brand-new position as academic and career advisor for the University’s One Stop, MU students’ one-stop shop for academic support and academic and career advising.
“A decade ago, I didn’t know the culture surrounding college. I didn’t know how to sign up for classes,” Serna said. “But now, I’m helping students in similar situations I went through as a student. I can sit down with them and say, ‘You can do this.’ My experience here definitely comes full circle.”
Serna hopes to earn a master’s degree one day. But in the meantime, she is enjoying her time as an academic and career advisor for MU while seeing her own three children – ages 6, 8 and 13 – grow up and achieve their own dreams.
“The fact that I can do everything I’m doing today without fear of repercussion gives me a sense of thankfulness,” she said. “I’m grateful that I was born in the United States and that I can call myself an American.”