She was Reuters correspondent in Baghdad from 2010-2012, where she covered the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq amongst other political, economic and social stories. She started her career in journalism as a writer for Reuters in Johannesburg, where some of the top stories she covered included Jacob Zuma’s inauguration as South African president, the political crises in Zimbabwe and Madagascar, and elections in South Africa and Botswana. Serena has also reported from Pakistan and Senegal. She was recently back in South Africa to cover the passing of Nelson Mandela for BBC World. Serena grew up in London and Johannesburg, and studied for a Bachelor of Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa. She is very passionate about news and wanted to be a journalist from the age of seven.