“The American myth that a self-sufficient lifestyle is aspirational leads to disconnected neighborhoods, growing inequity, and older adults facing COVID-19 alone. I’m advocating for a new definition of what it means to live a successful life that prizes intergenerational connection as essential to our lives.”
ABOUT SERENA
Serena Bian is a 24-year old, Chinese-American Michigander focused on building intergenerational unity across America, both locally and nationally. Her work seeks to understand how Americans must rewrite our values in order to create a more socially connected and equitable democracy.
Serena most recently launched the Biden campaign’s Communities United program, a national effort to spark direct action across hundreds of American neighborhoods for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris while also building lasting social infrastructure amongst communities. Serena was recruited by Vivek Murthy, 19th U.S. Surgeon General under Obama, to conduct research for his New York Times bestselling book, Together: The Healing Power of Social Connections, where her own story of loneliness, solitude, and leadership is featured.
She collaborates with The Holding Co, and helped launch the Care100, a first-ever list of top innovators within the care system. Serena led the founder community at First Round Capital, building the renowned Mentorship program to revitalize the community around mutual support.
At the University of Pennsylvania, she helped develop meaningful connections across underclassmen with her event series, Space Gatherings, and relaunched Dear Penn Freshmen, a viral storytelling campaign around social connection. Today, she resides in San Francisco and loves nothing more than meeting her neighbors!