Melanie Serrano ‘ 93
STUDYING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND CHECKING AN ITEM OFF HER BUCKET LIST
M elanie ( Hansen ) Serrano ' 93 , a School Counselor at TA , spent part of her summer in a professional development program – in Israel .
Mel participated in the Fulbright- Hays Seminar Abroad Program , which brings a group of U . S . educators to a different country each summer , seeking to enhance their understanding and knowledge of people and cultures of other countries .
The 4-week trip included lectures and visits to historical sites . Mel and the group spent a week each
in Jerusalem , the Negev Desert , Tel Aviv , and Haifa , with day excursions from those locations .
“ You never really have a full understanding of a place until you go visit it ,” says Mel , who originally booked the trip for 2020 . “ Israel is extremely rich in many ways , particularly its history and culture , but it also has earned a reputation for its technological innovation . It was eye-opening and not what I expected .”
An avid gardener , Mel was impressed with farmers ’ ability to grow crops with very little water . Her trip included a visit to the Salad