Jessica received a Bachelor’s of Science from The College of New Jersey with a concentration in Botany and Spanish. As an Education Ranger for Olympic National Park she began teaching in an outdoor setting. Following this experience she joined the Clemmie Gill School of Science and Technology in Springville, California as a naturalist intern. As her enthusiasm for teaching grew she took part in an intensive program which included pedagogy of teaching English Language Learners and then enrolled in the K-8 multiple subject teaching credential program in Cal State TEACH. She has worked at Sempervirens Outdoor School as an Outdoor Educator and for three summers at Hidden Villa as a Day Camp Program Head and Garden Coordinator.

In August of 2006, she continued on as the Garden Teacher for Hidden Villa’s off-site school partnership with John Gill Elementary School in Redwood City.  Most recently, Jessica coordinated the youth action based research program, How Youth Perceive the Environment (HYPE), though a collaboration between Hidden Villa, Sequoia High School in Redwood City, and Redwood City 2020.

Jessica Zuckerman Du Val developed Hidden Villa’s garden-based For English Learners curriculum and co-authored both For Your School Garden as well as HV’s Garden Kit curriculum, which includes all the materials needed to accompany science-based classroom lessons.