Jose Serrano was born and rise in The Bronx. His mom was also born the the Bronx and his dad was born in Puerto Rico. At the age of 13 Jose Serrano began middle school at I.S .174 where he became active in his school community. During his time in middle he got involved with a non-profit organization called Publicolor. Where he learned how to paint a wall, door, and door frame in his own middle school. This first experience of being a part of a team taught me a lot about myself and gave me the opportunity to work creatively with others. After several months Jose Serrano was inducted as an MVP which means “Most Valuable Painter.” Jose has now been with the program for almost 7 years. During my time with this organization, Jose has learned many important life skills associated with painting, such as communication, team work, and how to be a good leader.
At the age 14 of Jose got involved with this non-profit group in Mount Vernon, NY called Free Teen U.S.A. This organization teaches young people about sexually transmitted diseases that are affecting our generation. As a member of this group, I gained experience and knowledge through teaching young people like myself information on sexually transmitted diseases and abstinence. As time passed, Jose aunt, who was the site coordinator of Free Teens, became ill and was no longer able to maintain the group. Which it felt my sister and I were in a position to take over the group. My sister became site coordinator and I became the assistant coordinator. This was Jose Serrano first time being in a position of leadership. Jose learned many responsibilities that came along with this position, such as being an active listener and conducting research. The reason Jose Serrano decided to do this was because Jose was not going to let the youth in the community suffer because of his aunt was no longer able to run the group. Jose Serrano believes in youth empowerment because they are the future.In the summer of 2007, Jose Serrano got involved with a non-profit organization called the Manhattan Neighborhood Network/Youth Channel. Which made an impact on his life. Where Jose participated in an internship with the Youth Channel. Jose Serrano was so excited because he actually had the chance to be in front of the camera as a reporter. Jose discovered, though, that it was not just about being in front of a camera, but it was also an opportunity to learn about media. During Jose internship with the Youth Channel, he has learned many media skills such as editing video footage, how to work with both a PD-170 camera and a studio camera, and how to use the control room. Jose also learned about graphics, lighting, audio, and PSA’s, or Public Service Announcements. In addition to these technical skills, Jose Serrano learned organizational skills and how to conduct a successful interview. During this internship, I had a chance to work with other teens like myself that were in the media field. Together they created PSA’s that educated people about the negative portrayal of women in the media.
Once Jose Serrano internship finished, he wanted to continue to work with the Youth Channel. Jose Serrano began to think about pursuing my dream of having my own show. Jose spoke to the director of the Youth Channel and told her about my ideas of having his own TV show. She told me to go ahead and get started – Jose couldn’t believe it! At first he did not know what the show was going to be about. He began to think about his target audience and possible topics for his show. After much planning, Jose now has his own show called “The Jose Show,” which airs on Time Warner Cable in Manhattan, RCN Cable, and Fios. The reason why Jose Serrano decided to create his own TV show is to help young people get on track toward successful futures. Through The Jose show, Jose has the opportunity to teach the community
