When we ask Serria Tawan if her first name has any special meaning, she thinks for a moment. 'Yes, it means 'beautiful, gorgeous, sexy one' -- in Serria's world,' she says, then laughs. 'Seriously, my father was trying to name me Sierra, like Sierra Nevada. My mom thought it was too common and put a spin on it.' Serria grew up on the South Side of Chicago and moved to Los Angeles two years ago to pursue an acting career. 'Chicago has these popcorn shops that you can smell from a few blocks away,' she says, sighing. 'Butter, cheese, caramel, toffee, fudge -- nothing in it is good for you. That's what I like! I want to open a shop like that in Beverly Hills someday.' The 24-year-old graduated from college with a degree in finance and is a licensed securities broker. 'Being a broker is acting,' she says. 'You're trying to convince your customer to feel comfortable with you. You just can't win an Oscar for it.' After landing small parts in several films, Serria became interested in Playboy when she worked with Playmate Daphnee Duplaix on the set of The Parkers. She recently finished what she calls an 'action-packed chick flick' script and got partial funding for a screenplay she wrote with Drugstore Cowboy scribe Daniel Yost. 'I write short stories and keep a journal that I want to make into a book eventually,' she says. 'My journal is like a girlfriend -- someone I can talk to all the time.' Miss November has a heart as big as her career ambitions. 'I'm a philanthropist,' she says. 'Service, community and family are my three main priorities.' Serria is also into self-defense and has a blue belt in karate. 'I had to flip a guy once,' she confesses. 'He was getting too carried away, so I flipped him right on his ass and his eyes got so big. I felt bad, but now he'll think twice about assuming someone is defenseless.' Point taken, but what can a guy do to not get flipped? 'A good date for me is cooking dinner and watching a movie -- just sitting back on the couch, talking, whispering and having a good time. I am not materialistic. I'm attracted to someone who might have nothing but is still confident. I also enjoy shaking my ass with the best of them at a club. I don't half-step -- if you do something, do it right. If not, stay home.'