Draft:Jessi Blanarik

Jessi Blanarik is a journalist and travel and wine writer with a diverse career spanning multiple countries and fields. Originally from Pennsylvania, Jessi has made significant contributions in both journalism and the wine tourism industry.

Early Career and Education
Jessi began her career as an ESL teacher in Prague, which allowed her to explore her passion for travel and different cultures. She later transitioned to teaching online, which supported her globe-trotting lifestyle across South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe. This international exposure deepened her interest in culinary arts, beverages, and tourism.

Jessi pursued a master's degree in Wine Tourism and Sustainability through the Wintour Erasmus Mundus Program, studying in Tarragona, Spain, Bordeaux, France, and Porto, Portugal. Her academic research focused on the integration of blog writing within the wine and sustainable tourism sectors, developing models to enhance tourism-centered content creation. She conducted her research in Athens, Greece.

Professional Experience
Before becoming the managing editor of The Centre County Gazette, Jessi worked as a freelance tourism and wine writer for various online platforms, focusing on wine tourism, sustainable tourism practices, and unique travel experiences. She also contributed to local news and lifestyle publications.

She now works as the managing editor at The Centre County Gazette, Centre County’s only weekly, independent publication that covers all towns in Centre County, like State College, Bellefonte, Philipsburg, Centre Hall, Bald Eagle, Millheim, Milesburg, Boalsburg, Pleasant Gap, Howard, Snow Shoe, Port Matilda, and more. The Centre County Gazette started in 2008 and has since become available at more than 100 locations across the county and distributes 10,600 copies each week.

She has interviewed many notable figures, like Aston Barrett Jr. from The Wailers, Dennis Gage, host of "My Classic Car," and other local politicians, Penn State University figures, and community members.

Personal Projects
Jessi also runs Jessi’s Journey, an online platform that shares travel tips, digital nomad advice, and solo travel encouragement.