Bella grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills in Nevada County and spent countless hours hiking, backpacking, swimming, picking berries, and lying on granite rocks as a kid. She went on to graduate from Reed College in Portland, OR, with a B.A. in Environmental Studies-Chemistry, where she focused her studies on atmospheric chemistry.

After college, Bella worked as a hiking and backpacking guide in Yosemite National Park seasonally for three years, during which she spent all her free time rock climbing or lounging by the river. An avid climber, Bella has made various ascents of El Capitan and other prominent rock features around Yosemite and in the Sierra. Other than climbing, she loves to dance, cook, adventure, sit in hot springs, and wildcraft with plants she forages.

Bella works as a Program Coordinator for the Economic Empowerment team at Sierra Business Council and has experience working in community organizing and sustainability projects. She splits her time between programs, primarily dedicating time to Sierra Jobs First and the Sierra Small Business Development Center (SBDC).