Alumni Profiles
Alum: Eric Serrano ’11
Deep in the heart of California’s San Fernando Valley is where Eric Serrano’s ’11 earliest memories lie. First, there is his Tia Yolanda’s home. Eric recalled the numerous family gatherings at his aunt’s and forming close bonds. Then, there is Lake Balboa Park, a place his mom, Marta, would take him and his siblings on the weekends when he was younger.
Born in Van Nuys, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, Eric relocated to Burien in 1999, right before starting Kindergarten.
“Even though my sister, Katherine ’12, and I moved to the Seattle area at a very young age, we always maintained very close contact with relatives here,” Eric said from his current home in Santa Monica.
Eric moved north, but the memories of California remained vivid. Flash forward more than twenty years later, and Eric is back home, moving back to Southern California with his partner and fellow Bush graduate Vanessa Wong ’11. The location change worked well for his budding career in the finance field with Amazon, but it was more than that: The move was about connecting his present with his past.
“I come from El Salvadoran descent, and in Seattle we do not really have a lot of people like me,” he said. “I was born in LA, and I have a lot of family here. I really wanted to connect with my roots. More people speak Spanish and look like me in this area. I feel like I can better represent what success looks like to people on the corporate and business route. I definitely want to take advantage of the opportunities I have here to do that.”
When Eric graduated from The Bush School in 2011, he was not sure what path to pursue. A Rainier Scholar at Bush, he took an interest in economics and business. Eric credits Rainier Scholars, a program that cultivates the academic and leadership potential of students of color, with helping him navigate an independent school as well as find his footing and voice.
Attending Washington State University for two years and then transferring to the University of Oregon, Eric graduated in 2015 with a degree in economics. He served for six years in the Army National Guard, where he was awarded the Army Achievement Medal for exceptional service, and went on to intern at Boeing. He credits Bush for the ability to take risks and step outside of his comfort zone.
“Joining the National Guard allowed me to travel while meeting new, different people—Bush set me up for that,” he said. “Bush taught me to go into these experiences with an open-mind which has been helpful.”
Shortly after college, Eric started a career at Amazon, where he has been ever since. Starting out as a financial analyst, he is now a finance manager at Amazon Web Services in the commercial sales segment, where his work is focused on financial planning, business case analysis, pricing decisions, and maintaining controllership.
Outside of work, Eric explained he enjoys staying active and giving back to his community—a lifelong passion that has shaped his life from his days at Bush through college and into his adult life.
“At Bush I had fond memories of volunteering with local elementary schools in Seattle, helping educators with the children during lessons,” Eric said. “This was my initial experience with giving back to community. I joined the Army National Guard and volunteered in other ways, including gathering a group of soldiers during annual training to assist with Relay for Life events in Eugene, Oregon and helping to battle wildfires in Enumclaw, Wasington.”
And of course, being back at home, Eric is looking forward to creating many more memories.
“I had the opportunity to make an impact in each one of my adopted communities, and now I have the opportunity to give back to the city where I was born. It is a full circle moment. I can inspire the next first-generation of El Salvadoran Americans to do the same. Many of us come from families that show us unconditional love. We have this opportunity to bring some of that to our extended communities where we can make a difference.”
“I had the opportunity to make an impact in each one of my adopted communities, and now I have the opportunity to give back to the city where I was born. It is a full circle moment. I can inspire the next first-generation of El Salvadoran Americans to do the same. Many of us come from families that show us unconditional love. We have this opportunity to bring some of that to our extended communities where we can make a difference.”
The Bush School is an independent, coeducational day school located in Seattle, WA enrolling 715 students in grades K–12. The mission of The Bush School is to spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities.
3400 East Harrison Street, Seattle WA 98112 (206) 322-7978
The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment, recruitment, admissions, or administration of any of its programs on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. In addition, The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment on the basis of age or marital status.