Jess Marshalek is a multimedia journalist and photographer located in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

Presently, she’s working with Westminster Presbyterian Church of Sarver as their social media manager and video editor, and is the writing & editing voice behind Herman Volunteer Fire Company’s e-newsletter, along with being a member of their social media team. But, she’s open to taking on new in-person or remote opportunities.

In 2014, Jess attained her Master’s from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, after completing the university’s year-long intensive degree program in Magazine, Newspaper & Online Journalism.

While working on her Master’s, Jess had the privilege of writing timely feature stories about the arts, politics, and events taking place within the local Syracuse community, along with other intriguing happenings in the Central New York region. She also broadened her skills in concert photography, covering local music sessions and concerts at a series of venues for publications like 20 Watts, Syracuse University’s music magazine.

Before relocating to Syracuse for the 2013-2014 academic year, Jess interned as a journalist and historical researcher at the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society. This internship provided her with the opportunity to utilize the researching and archiving skills she had gained while completing a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Rosemont College in 2012.

During her time at Rosemont, Jess found her niche as an investigative researcher with a passion for examining polarizing sustainability issues. She interviewed Kathy Mattea, a well-known musician turned environmental advocate, for The Thorn: The Literary Magazine of Rosemont College, and co-hosted an event through the Political Science department that brought Larry Gibson, a CNN Hero and founder of the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, to the college to speak on his experiences defending land that had been in the Gibson family for over 300 years from the practice of Mountaintop Removal Mining.

Apart from her studies, Jess was passionate about the arts, particularly, music. She started taking fiddle lessons with a focus on Scottish and Irish tunes in 2008. So, three years later, she jumped at the opportunity to spend 6 months studying and living in Ireland. She took classes in Irish History, Politics & Sociology, and the Irish Language (Gaeilge) at the University of Galway. And, when Jess wasn’t immersed in her studies, she spent time traveling throughout Ireland, the U.K., and mainland Europe absorbing local arts, history, and culture.