December 9, 2025
SVSU graduating senior: Serena Hart
From: Hazel Park
Major: Elementary Education (lower and upper elementary)
Future: Teaching and completing Michigan Test for Teacher Certification
When Serena Hart first came to Saginaw Valley State University, she wasn’t entirely sure of her path. She began her college career as a pre-health professions major planning to study veterinary medicine. After a difficult sophomore year filled with uncertainty and discouragement, Serena decided to follow her passion to work with children and changed her major to elementary education. That adjustment reshaped her entire college experience.
“Switching my major to elementary education was the best decision I could have ever made,” Hart said. “I have felt at home since I made this change and I am beyond grateful for the support I have had.”
Serena’s journey through the College of Education was not without challenges. She encountered illness, academic setbacks, course scheduling barriers and multiple administrative hurdles that threatened to slow her progress. Through it all, she found encouragement and support from friends, peers and professors made a powerful difference as well.
Serena emphasized the role of community in helping her persist through difficult semesters and unexpected roadblocks. “I have met some of my friends that I will have for life,” she said. “The peers I have had the pleasure of knowing while in this program are some of the most amazing people I have met.”
She also credits several faculty members in the education department for guiding her through some of the toughest points of her academic journey. “David Cline (professor of teacher education), JoAnne West (assistant professor of teacher education) and Mark Abenth (Morris Hood Project Advisor) would most definitely be at the top of my list,” Hart said. “They are amazing professors who are very caring and want nothing but to see you succeed.”
Reflecting on her time at SVSU, Serena describes the experience as transformative. “My experience has been bittersweet,” she said. “A lot of highs and lows but the best decision I could have made and the people I have met and the opportunities I have been given have made this experience so great.”
As graduation approaches, Serena is proud of the determination and resilience that brought her to this moment. “I am proud that I never gave up on myself and that I have finally made it to the end of the tunnel,” she said. “All my hard work, late nights, no sleep and many days questioning myself has led me here to be able to start the career I know I was meant to be in.”
After graduation, Serena plans to complete her Michigan Test for Teacher Certification and pursue an elementary teaching position. Just as so many mentors supported her during her own journey, Serena looks forward to beginning her career in the classroom and becoming the kind of educator who inspires, encourages and supports her students.