“You are a part of something greater than yourself. And remember that.”

The door to the Athletics Director’s office at Broomfield High School has been a revolving door in the past five years. With the leave of Steve Shelton – who had been BHS’s previous Athletics Director, came the need to look for other candidates to fill the shoes that have been broken in by many before.

Enter Autumn Sereno.

Being a New York native, she has spent her time both in the administrator’s’ office as well as on the courts in a multitude of sports.

“I started when I was really young; the first sport I played was basketball, and, since then, that has been my love. It drove me through high school and that was my motivation to continue to do well.”

Basketball was not the only activity that led her through the times we are living right now. Stating that she was a three-sport athlete in high school, she’s played softball, volleyball, and lacrosse as well. With a very competitive brother, she was pushed to be first place in everything and always to the peak of her abilities.

“I went to college and continued basketball and played through that level as well, and that was another thing that pushed me – I always wanted to play at the next level, which then pushed me academically and helped me with what I wanted to do in my life.”

Going to college at SUNY- Brockport, she earned her teaching degree alongside her masters, instantly knowing that she wanted to be a person of teaching stature.

It was not until a little over a decade ago that she moved to Colorado. The move from the east to west was spurred by a friend who enlightened her to all the opportunities in teaching that Colorado offers. When Sereno arrived in Colorado Springs, she was brought into the Sand Creek coaching and teaching scene.

“I was the head coach for six years for girls basketball at 5A, as well as [to] teach PE and Health. I always had a great time talking with the other coaches and bouncing off ideas with one another, and that’s what really pushed me to say, ‘you know what? Athletics is where you need to be.’”

It was in these times as a head coach that Sereno aspired to become something larger as an Athletic Director. It was during this time that she earned her principal’s license to become the Athletics Director for Sand Creek. She had finally done it.

By some stroke of luck she would be moved on to becoming an Assistant Principal at ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch – one step closer to Broomfield. However, she found the transition of moving away from athletics to be difficult.

“This is my fourth year being both those roles [Assistant Principal and Athletic Director]. Last year when I was at ThunderRidge I was an Assistant Principal, and I really realized that athletics was where I needed to be; it’s my life. It was tough not having it in my life.”

Once again, by a turn of fate, when another Athletic Director was walking out the door, Autumn Sereno saw a way in. Thus, she became an Eagle administrator.

Between being an Athletic Director as well as an Assistant Principal, she is understanding how the student body operates in and out of the halls of BHS. You can catch her with the other officials of the school and even at the sporting events, both home and away.

“I think a lot of it is having a lot of conversations with the coaches and trying to help them with what they need to build a great student athlete that is sound academically and is pushed athletically. I look at those things and I look back at my past and know that’s what pushed me to the success that I saw.”

We are hopeful that the door to the Athletic Director’s office will stop spinning like a merry-go-round. In the past five years, in such a short time, there have been six ADs to have walked in and out. An end to the constant shift in ADs could result in better cohesion amongst the programs. While boy’s soccer and girl’s basketball both made it to the top during last years’ seasons, perhaps with a constant AD to oversee and grow alongside the teams, this same success could be seen in our other programs.

Optimistically, with the outlook that Autumn Sereno has on not only the athletics side of BHS but also the entire student body, we may have found someone who will be with us for years to come.

“I think if I had one thing to say to the entire student body of athletes, is that you are a part of something greater than yourself, and remember that. Sometimes we get involved with ourselves so much, and you need to from time to time, but understanding that there’s a whole team behind you and that there’s a history to the court you’re playing on and you’re not only playing for yourself you’re playing for your team, your family, and everyone who’s going to Broomfield High School.”

She went on to explain that that doesn’t only apply to the athletes, but to every other program going on within the walls of BHS.

“If you take a look at our performing arts, I mean, wow – talk about successful programs. They have done so well in the past years. It doesn’t work exactly like a sports team, but it does – it does, but it doesn’t. They all depend on each other for one common goal, and that’s exactly what athletics is.”

The next time you’re cruising down the hallway and you see a face that you perhaps haven’t seen before, just know that everyone is depending on each other within these halls aspire to become great, because, like the newest member of our Eagle administration, Ms. Sereno, said, “You are a part of something greater than yourself. And remember that.”