Tess grew up on a small farm in Michigan where she developed a deep love for the outdoors. She received her Bachelor's degree in Earth System Science from McGill University before moving to southern Arizona in 2014 to escape the cold. She quickly fell in love with the exposed geology, diverse ecology, rich culture, and starry nights of the sky island region. Her passion for combining ecological restoration with the healing of communities led her to pursue a Master's degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona, which she completed in 2020. Tess spends her free time hiking and botanizing in the sky islands, reading about outer space, and making strange music in her bedroom recording studio.