Jessica Wood

Jess Wood was born in Devils Lake, North Dakota and grew up on a farm 30 miles from the nearest town. Although she started driving a tractor before she could even reach the pedals, her driving record is less than spotless. She has been hit by a deer (it ran into the side of her car), had a car accident in a parking lot, and even totaled a truck in an empty pasture. She also spent her summers working mowing lawns and selling minnows. Although her dreams of being a racehorse jockey were crushed in 3rd grade by growing over 4 feet tall (which she is still devastated about today), she owns a horse and enjoys riding even though she can’t compete. After working for Dr. Irina Smoliakova during her undergraduate years at the University of North Dakota, she came to Berkeley. Since she had experienced living in rural ND for so long, she decided to move to the more urban border between El Cerrito and Richmond where she hears police sirens daily and is afraid to walk her dog at night.



Contact Information

Email: jess_wood at calmail dot berkeley dot edu