Student Success Story - Serena Desiderio
Name: Serena Desiderio
Major: Physiology and Medical Sciences
Graduation: May 2025
Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona
SSRI Unit and Position: Desk Assistant at C.A.T.S Academics
Post-graduation plans: Physical Therapy school Creighton University
Serena Desiderio’s strength, motivation, and desire to make the world a better - and more accessible - place makes her shine. Serena is graduating in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology and Medical Sciences. She is continuing her education at Creighton University this fall working toward her goal of becoming a physical therapist.
Connecting to Campus
Students come to the University of Arizona looking for ways to connect on campus, succeed academically and determine their path for the future. Serena was doing all this and facing the reality of her progressive disability. She reflected on how her expectations were met with difficulty when she arrived at University of Arizona four years ago: “As my time here progressed, my disease also progressed, and so I started losing a lot of muscle weakness in my legs... it had a lot of personal impact on my life, because I wanted to be able to go to the football games…basketball games… I wanted to be able to be in a classroom and feel normal.”
It was a combination of her time working at C.A.T.S Academics, joining the Pre-Health Honorary, and spending time volunteering in the community with children with disabilities, that influenced her passion as an advocate for accessibility. She shared, “there shouldn't be barriers. I shouldn't be stuck in one way… I have that ability. I still have that strength … [and] then the people I surround myself with … they don't take no for an answer, and if they see something wrong, then they're the first people to [say] that's not okay.”
Accessibility and Openness
One of the biggest takeaways Serena had from her time at C.A.T.S. Academics was the opportunity to see change happening on campus. As her own physical limitations increased, she became more aware of how access concerns were impacting herself and others: “I worked a lot with the Disability Resource Center and with the Athletics department on [accessibility] … We walked through the Arizona Stadium and McKale, and we pointed out things that I think could be better, and I think overall that has really helped my journey in advocacy, and also feeling more comfortable in my body.”
It was this silver lining of her journey that she could “see them [the Athletics Department] wanting to be open and vulnerable with their students, they're not afraid of change and they were willing to have an open and honest conversation about creating change.”
Self Confidence from C.A.T.S. Academics
The skills that Serena has gained in her time as a Desk Assistant and tutor at C.A.T.S. Academics are invaluable for her future: how to be a leader and team player, and how to work with others to create change behind the scenes. These takeaways will take her far, but it is the growth mindset and determination that shines through it all. Her experiences have given her “the strength to overcome a lot of things in [her] life.”
Serena has wise words that she lives by and would encourage others to reflect on their own selves during their university journey: “If you know who you are, you have that confidence to do well, and have that confidence to do well, you can accomplish anything.”
Learn more about the work C.A.T.S. Academics does to support student-athletes.