Jessee Steele is from Bryson City, North Carolina, and attended the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics before earning a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Duke University in 2023. At Duke, he founded the school’s first environmental orientation, led waste reduction efforts, taught a course on houseplant physiology, and published a senior thesis on mosses’ role in stream nutrient cycling. He later worked in Washington, D.C. with Eastern Research Group Inc., supporting environmental operations on Capitol Hill.
He is now beginning a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, studying drought-induced tree mortality and forest resilience under climate change. Despite political upheaval, job instability, and personal hardships after graduation, Jessee has persisted, recognizing his growing capacity for resilience and valuing Greenhouse as a vital source of support and community.
