For three years as a law school student, Andrew J. Serina rented a room in an attic and after class and studying, he’d watch an 8-inch black-and-white television. It got three channels if he had the rabbit ears in the right position.
But he was lucky, after the news, the NBC station he was able to get in showed Law & Order reruns. It’s those reruns, he said Wednesday, that led him on the path to becoming the newest judge on the Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas bench.
Serina was sworn in during a ceremony inside historic Courtroom 1 at Schuylkill County Courthouse. Earlier this year, Serina ran unopposed for that position in the Primary and General elections.
“I am so blessed and fortunate to be in this position. I am beyond thankful for this opportunity. This is something I never dreamt about. I never dreamt this possible,” Serina said.
Serina said his ascension to Judge in the Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas took decades and he thanked many of those he credits for getting him to this point … both real and fictitious.
The Real McCoy
While Serina said there were many people who put him on the path to donning the black robe, a made-for-TV lawyer definitely had a part in it, too.
“It’s all that I watched throughout law school. I just watched episodes of Law & Order every night,” Serina said in remarks after taking his oath of office administered by President Judge Jacqueline Russell. “That’s where my love, my desire, my passion to become an ADA came from, from watching this black-and-white television every night after coming home from class.”
In response to a question from The Canary following Wednesday’s ceremony, Serina said his favorite ADA was Jack McCoy.
Serina said he told himself, while watching those reruns, that he wanted to be just like McCoy. When he was done law school, he said, he wanted to become an Assistant District Attorney.
“I want to stand right there in front of that jury box and make closing arguments,” he recalled telling himself.
Lessons in Rejection
That dream didn’t immediately come true after graduating from law school, Serina remembered. That path to standing in front of a jury and ultimately to taking a seat on the Court of Common Pleas bench, had some ups and downs.
Serina said he applied for an ADA job right out of law school, but he was turned down for the position.
“I was devastated. I put all my emotion into having this job and I didn’t get it,” he said.
But that didn’t end his pursuit of that job. He said that rejection was just one bump on the path to where he’d go in his career. And now he realizes he was happy it happened.
“Honestly, it was the best thing for me,” he told those gathered for his and others’ swearing-in ceremonies on Wednesday. “Through disappointments, through temporary failures, that’s where we really grow. We figure things out about ourselves.”
Serina said he got a job at Michael J. O’Connor’s law firm in Frackville after getting rejected for the ADA job. But he couldn’t stop thinking about becoming a prosecutor.
The door to that job first opened when Judge D. Michael Stine had an opening for a law clerk at the Courthouse. He applied and got that job.
Serina said, “I can not thank him enough. Coming to work was way more than a job. He was a mentor. He knew where I wanted to go in my career. He knew what I wanted to be. Every day was a learning experience for me.”
That ADA job he couldn’t get off his mind finally opened up when then-District Attorney Frank Cori “took a gamble on me,” Serina recalled, thanking him for giving him that opportunity.
“I fell in love with the job. It’s that job that put me on this path to get here,” he added.
Son of a Coal Miner and a Grocer
Serina said he came from humble roots. At times, when speaking of his family, Serina was audibly emotional as he stood at a podium addressing those who gathered to watch the swearing-in ceremonies on Wednesday
The judge thanked his parents for making every sacrifice for him as he wound his way to his new job.
“I’m really proud to be the son of a coal miner, the be the son of a woman who worked her whole life in a grocery store in Tamaqua,” Serina said. “They instilled the work ethic in me and because of that work ethic, it put me in this place today.”
He also thanked his predecessor in the District Judge position, James Ferrier, whom he credited for putting him on the political path that got him to Wednesday.
“Without him, I’m not here,” Serina said.
Serina also thanked his campaign staff and other elected officials who supported him and took his calls through the election process.
But he reserved his most personal thanks to his family.
Serina applauded his children, Andrew, Alexa, and Aiden, for helping post signs on the campaign trail. And for his wife, Maria, he expressed his gratitude to her for supporting him throughout his career and the decisions he made.
He said he believes she had more belief in him that he had in himself at times.
“There were days where I was unsure where I was going. I loved being a prosecutor but I didn’t know where I was eventually going to be,” Serina said. “Her position was always, if you love it, that’s all that matters. Keep on doing it. We’ll figure things out.”
PHOTO: Coal Region Canary
Subscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...