Serena van der Woodsen

Living… in a penthouse in Manhattan with her mother, Lily, and younger brother, Eric. She’s the very privileged daughter of a doctor and a socialite, though the two are now divorced.

Profession… student at Constance Billard School for Girls, an exclusive private school on the Upper East Side. Billard is known as a feeder school for Ivy League, so admission is prized among the wealthy families of Manhattan. Serena returned to Billard after a year of self-imposed exile at a boarding school in Connecticut. Her return rekindles her rivalry with her best friend Blair, whose queen bee status is threatened when Serena comes back to Manhattan.

Interests... modeling and fashion. Serena’s natural beauty is a source of envy for her peers, as she effortlessly exudes stylishness. Everything wears well on her, and she compliments her tight clothes with attention-grabbing accessories. Unlike the other socialites at the Constance Billard School, Serena never tries too hard. She relies on her natural beauty and her instincts to get her gigs.

Relationship Status... on and off with Dan Humphrey, with about a million boyfriends in between. As someone with such killer looks, it’s no surprise that Serena is in high demand. She’s dated all kinds of guys, from artist Aaron Rose to bad boy Carter Baizen, but Serena always seems to find her way back to Dan.

Challenge… maintaining her friendships and sense of self in the midst of all the drama. Serena and Blair are constantly competing, with Blair often acting as the aggressor, as she feels overshadowed by Serena. Her family is also a source of grief – her mother’s relationship with Dan’s father makes things extremely awkward between her and Dan. She also has a troubled past, and is trying not to repeat the mistakes that drove her away from Manhattan to begin with. Her lies necessitate more lies, and it’s hard for those around her to trust her.

Personality… charismatic, free-spirited, and mysterious. Serena catches a lot of hate, because she tries half as hard and is twice as appealing as the other girls. She’s beautiful without being transparent. She’s charming, kind and laidback, unlike the girls who want to be her.