From Portland, Ore., Lena graduated with a B.A. from the University of Seattle and is now working towards an M.A. in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism from the University of Montana. She served as the 2021 Ted Smith Environmental Storytelling Intern at the Flathead Lake Biological Station, and her words have appeared in Coastal Review Online, The Counter, and Seattle Magazine. Two of Lena's regular free time activities are reading mystery novels and looking at moss.