Jessica Soulliere (MS/MLA ’26) is a dual-degree student graduating from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) with a specialization in Environmental Policy and Planning and a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA).

What did you do before coming to SEAS?

Before applying to SEAS, I owned a residential ecological landscape design/build business and native plant nursery in Detroit.

What drew you to SEAS and your specialization?

I knew that I was going to need a credential to do the types of work I wanted to do. I got a national green infrastructure certification a few years earlier, so I would work on stormwater management projects, but in order to be able to design them at any scale larger than residential, I’d need to become a licensed landscape architect (or engineer, and I wasn’t about to do that!). I was noodling on this for about four years. I knew I needed to find a program that was already in line with my ecological design philosophy, and there weren’t many to choose from. The program seemed like a great fit, and having grown up in Ann Arbor, I was already accustomed to the culture. What made me finally decide to apply was the frustration I felt for my clients who could not even qualify for drainage credits in Detroit for simple rain gardens. The idea that they’d have to pay for stamped plans for such simple solutions was frustrating. 

What has your SEAS experience been like?

The honest truth of it is that it has been the hardest thing I have done in my recent memory. I’m sure things like raising children compare, but that was long enough ago, it's all a blur. Not only did I decide to get an MLA, which regularly had me working 7 days per week, more than 12 hours per day, but I also decided to add on a second degree and pursue EPP. I think it’s a great idea to have a gap between undergrad and grad school, but mine was so many years that I had to re-learn study skills and get used to committing ALL OF MY FREE TIME to coursework. 

That said, it has also been incredibly rewarding. Life had not really gotten back to normal after COVID by the fall of 2023, so having to be in the presence of others all day was refreshing. I am also a Next-Gen student, and I can’t tell you how supportive being part of that program has been. From helping me navigate the detours life has thrown at me during my time here, to having snacks and social time when I am prone to forgetting to eat when I am focused on work. 

I have also had the fortune of being appointed to the Rackham Mental Health and Wellbeing Committee, serving as a senior editor on the Michigan Journal of Public Affairs, serving on SASLA, serving as a GSI for SEAS faculty Joan Nassauer and Mark Lindquist, being nominated and receiving various awards and opportunities, like a sit down with [former U.S. Energy Secretary] Jennifer Granholm when she visited last year. 

I walked into this program worried I was too old (I’m only 48), unsure about my capacity or skills to meet the high standards I expected U-M would expect of me, and otherwise just planning to keep my head down and do what needed to be done. What actually happened is that this experience unlocked something in me I haven’t felt in a long time, which is a passion for achievement, less fear of being the oddball, and going for things I might not have otherwise done. The faculty and staff saw things in me and uplifted me in ways I didn’t realize I needed, and I think out of everything I have learned and done here, that is the most impactful part of my experience. I knew I was getting the degrees. What I didn’t know I needed was the wraparound community and support that kept me afloat and has really helped build my confidence in ways I was not expecting. 

Would you recommend SEAS to incoming students?

I came in at a time that straddled a curriculum change that created some concerns around loss of curriculum/learning opportunity that the students in the last cohort, and mine, worked hard to change. Seeing what the first and second year students are experiencing now, I would say yes. The classes I took outside of the MLA curriculum were pretty stellar, too. Steve Yaffee’s Negotiation Skills class was life-changing. Woody Plants was hilariously difficult for someone who already came in with plant knowledge. That was an excellent way to be stressed out while relieving stress on all the forest walks we took. 

What will you do after graduation?

I’m not sure I have an answer to this question exactly. The immediate future looks like applying for landscape architecture jobs and applying for funding to help develop an app prototype I created for my Capstone. Never being one to have a single path ahead, I will focus on those two now, and stay flexible in case other opportunities - or job market issues - arise. I can always hang up my shingle again, but I’m looking forward to not being the primary responsible person for payroll or sales again for a long time. I’ve enjoyed the teamwork that’s been required of us the last year, and I’m eager to put my new skills to work.