Nissa grew up in the mountains around Asheville, North Carolina where she was always captivated by nature, animals, and the outdoors. These interests eventually led her to study biology in college.There, she discovered her fascination with honey bees through several undergraduate research projects. Her love of bees grew the more she learned about their ecological services, social structure, and place in agriculture. She went on to study entomology in graduate school, where she discovered her penchant for teaching and agroecology. She hopes to use her beekeeping, biology, and teaching experiences to help improve our food systems to be more harmonious with nature through education. In her free time, Nissa likes to keep her hands ever busy with some kind of craft.