Serenity Tedesco

2010-11 Outbound to India

Hometown: Largo, Florida

School: St. Petersburg Collegiate High School

Sponsor: Indian Rocks Beach Rotary Club, District 6950, Florida

Host: Jalgaon East Rotary Club, District 3030, India

Bio

Serenity's Bio

Hello Everyone! Namaste!

My name is Serenity Tedesco. Mera naam Serenity Tedesco hai. I attend St. Petersburg Collegiate High School and I am currently a senior. My father is Italian-American and my mother is South Korean. I grew up with two very different cultures and I cannot wait to experience another! I am originally from South Korea and lived there until I was nine. We moved to the United States in 2001 to take care of my paternal grandmother who was quite old and lived by herself. I had a difficult time adjusting to American culture at first, but I quickly flourished here. Music has been a passion of mine for quite some time. I play several instruments including the violin, cello, guitar, and bass guitar. I sing as well. I have been fortunate enough to perform with the Patel Conservatory Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York and go on a Europe tour with my current orchestra! I am a part of the Pinellas Youth Symphony, Serenade Strings, and Golden Strings Youth Orchestra. I use my musical talent to help others. Almost every Saturday, I teach violin voluntarily to underprivileged children at the High Point YMCA in Clearwater. To me, a life without music wouldn't be a life at all. I am not a student of dance, but I find myself dancing almost everyday. My favorite types of dance are hip-hop, salsa, and bachata. I am almost always the first person to begin dancing on social occasions.

I also recently became very interested in art and have been drawing and painting a lot. I suppose you can say that I like to express myself to the fullest. :) I love animals. I have been a vegetarian most all my life and was even a vegan (a person who eats no animal products whatsoever) for five years. It is a blessing that I am going to India where the culture values the lives of animals more so than most other countries on earth. I have several pets. I have two rescued chihuahua puppies named Taco and Bella, two rescued cockatiels named Melody and Petey, and two rescued cats named Sushi and Tashi. Even though I am an only child, I have a lot of company with my many furry and feathered siblings! I have a number of goals for myself in the future. My current major is communications / T.V. & Radio Broadcasting / journalism. I have always enjoyed working with people, listening to their stories, and discovering new information. However, I would like to go to medical school and become a doctor eventually. I could keep writing about myself endlessly. One page is not enough for you to really know me. I hope that as my journals are posted, it'll become easier to do so.

Thank you Rotary Youth Exchange for such a wonderful and rare opportunity to become a foreign exchange student! I cannot wait to travel to India with its rich history, work ethic, and diversity. I promise that I will not only be a great exchange student, but also be a fabulous Rotary representative and ambassador for our country.

With much love & excitement,

Serenity