Nathan Porceng

Nathan Porceng was born in Syracuse, New York. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016 with a B.S. in chemical engineering and minors in history and music.

After graduation, Nathan joined the United States Navy through the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program. He served for 14 months as a Junior Officer Staff Instructor at Nuclear Power Training Unit Ballston Spa, teaching hands-on nuclear operations to sailors and supervising physics testing on a prototype reactor. Nathan then served 32 months aboard the submarine USS Ohio. During that time, he completed three deployments and held several roles including Operational Safety Officer, Assistant Engineer, and Chemistry and Radiological Controls Assistant.

Between deployments, Nathan volunteered with Tutoría, preparing prospective immigrants for their U.S. citizenship exams, and with United Way, staffing the Washington State COVID-19 Information Hotline. Nathan left the Navy in April 2022.

Nathan began his studies at Columbia Law School in the fall of 2022. He has held leadership roles in Columbia’s Environmental Law Society, Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, High School Law Institute, and the Columbia Journal of Race and Law. Nathan is also a staff editor for the Columbia Law Review. His reporting and commentary have appeared in numerous publications, including New York Focus, Grist, Balls & Strikes, and The Daily Beast.

Nathan spent the summer of 2023 working with the New York Legal Assistance Group’s Community Access Program. He spent the summer of 2024 as a law clerk with Earthjustice’s Biodiversity Defense Program. Nathan hopes to pursue a career in environmental justice.