“My mom told me this is an amazing opportunity.”
Serena Cooper was waiting for an order of crab legs to ease her stress about college applications, talking to a friend on FaceTime.
Serena was agonizing over how to pay for school when an email notification unexpectedly popped up on her phone – from the University of Southern California.
“I clicked it,” Serena recalls. “And then I just started crying.”
Even more surprising than the acceptance was what came next: her tuition would be fully covered. A school her college counselor had warned might be financially out of reach was suddenly possible.
This milestone was the culmination of years of hard work for the Baltimore native. As an only child to deaf parents, Serena took on a lot of responsibilities early in life, especially compared to many of her peers. She frequently served as a sign language interpreter for her mother, Laticia, navigating conversations at school, in stores and in other everyday situations.
“Just growing up with my mom, our relationship was very dependent upon each other,” Serena said. She describes her upbringing as “parentified”, frequently stepping into roles beyond her years to bridge communication gaps.
Her educational path began to shift when she transitioned from an under-resourced public elementary school to a public charter/KIPP middle school, where she initially learned about Hope Ignites Baltimore when a faculty member handed her and a few other students a white envelope.
Serena with her mom Laticia at her USC graduation.
“It felt very Willy Wonka, the golden ticket,” she said.
Inside was an invitation to an information session. Serena attended the session by herself, sitting amongst other students accompanied by their parents. She listened, gathered the paperwork, and took the materialsback home to her mother.
Though Serena knew she wanted to join, she was apprehensive about leaving her mom to become a residential scholar. But Laticia immediately urged her to move forward.
“She said, ‘Do it. Please, don’t worry about me,” Serena said. “She told me this is an amazing opportunity.”
From ninth through twelfth grade, she lived in the Hope Ignites Baltimore home, a decision that shaped her life in profound ways.
She was paired with a roommate, Novella, and the two quickly bonded, falling into a rhythm together, navigating the structure of the house side by side.
Left to right: Jamal Avery, Novella Ashe, and Serena Cooper on College Day.
“That was just a new experience of really feeling like I have sisters and what sisterhood is like.”
The house offered consistent routines, with the scholars gathering in the library for dedicated study time and taking breaks together, giving their young minds a rest.
For Serena, who had grown up as an only child, the residential program provided something entirely new.
“That was just a new experience of really feeling like I have sisters and what sisterhood is like,” Serena said.
Hope Ignites also helped Serena transition to Bryn Mawr School, an affluent, private all-girls high school that introduced her to a vastly different environment. The culture shift was significant, but the program provided the stability and resources she needed to adapt.
It also made opportunities possible that might have otherwise been out of reach, such as joining the track team. Serena competed in the 100- and 200-meter dash and the long jump, relying on program supprt to get to and from practices.
Among her many high school experiences, one stands out as especially transformative: a service trip to Thailand and Cambodia.
Serena at the Hope Ignites Baltimore house.
“We traveled to Thailand and Cambodia to service the local communities and learn about their amazing history.” she said. While there, Serena and her fellow students helped build the foundation of a home for a local community member, supported children in learning how to swim and speak English, packaged and delivered meals throughout the community, and spent time at an elephant conservation center observing and caring for the rescued elephants.
“We were welcomed into communities with love. It was the best first experience out the country that I could have asked for,” she said.
While that experience broadened her world view, one relationship close to homewould ultimately shape her future path.
Through Hope Ignites Serena was connected with an in-house therapist, Ms. Gillian, who helped her navigate the growing pains of high school.
“She was the first Black woman that I’d ever seen in this field,” Serena said.
That representation mattered and inspired Serena’s decision to pursue a psychology degree at USC.
“I wrote about her in my college application essay,” she said “I wanted to hold a similar role in another young Black child’s life,” she said.
At USC, Serena earned her psychology degree, picked up a mind-body studies minor, graduating in December 2025 while also taking the time to train to become a yoga instructor.
Serena visiting an elephant conservation center during her service trip to Thailand and Cambodia.
“Hold gratitude wherever you can find it. Gratitude and anxiety cannot live with the brain at the same time.”
Now 22, she has come full circle, returning to the Hope Ignites Baltimore house to work as a live-in youth specialist.
“It definitely felt like I’m coming home,” she said.
Her current scholars often ask about her time in the program, and she uses her own experiencesto mentor them. She also noted the amusing irony of living on the other side of the program, like when scholars knock on her door at 6:45 a.m., waking her up to ask her the same kinds of questions she once posed to her residential counselors.
Her unwavering dedication to the program recently earned her the 2026 Hope Ignites Legacy of Hope Award.
“When the impact is full-circle, I feel like I have to circle back here,” she said, referring to her decision to give back to the same program and community that supported her and her family during her formative years.
This fall, Serena will take her passion for education to a new classroom as an incoming Teach for America kindergarten teacher in Baltimore. Looking ahead, she dreams of a long-term career doing nonprofit work focused on youth.
For young scholars navigating their own journeys, Serena offers powerful advice.
“Remember your why,” she urges. And in moments of stress or uncertainty, she returns to a lesson that has stayed with her over time:
“Hold gratitude wherever you can find it,” she says. “Gratitude and anxiety cannot live with the brain at the same time.”
