Education: San Francisco State University, M.A, Visual Anthropology San Francisco State University, B.A., Photojournalism Film Academy (Czech Republic), A.A., Directing & Screenwriting

While at San Francisco State University earning her bachelor’s degree in photojournalism, Jana completed internships at the San Francisco Chronicle and the Kathmandu Post in Nepal. After college, she contributed to a variety of publications worldwide, including Reuters, as a freelance photojournalist. Jana has traveled and lived in more than 30 countries but she also regularly returns home to the Czech Republic, where she has produced ongoing projects that capture the highlights of Czech culture. Jana writes articles to accompany her photography and dedicates most of her time to international reporting and storytelling. She collaborates with nonprofit organizations to document humanitarian efforts all around the world. In the past years she has been working in the Philippines, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Jana’s photography has won numerous awards, including World Press Photo, National Geographic’s 2010 Photo Contest, Czech Press Photo, China Press Photo, and others. She is a passionate adventurer and outdoors enthusiast. Her main passions include Shotokan karate, swimming in the cold waters of the San Francisco Bay and Japanese green tea of which preparation she is annoyingly particular about. She has led Putney Student Travel programs in Belize, Italy, and Greece, and National Geographic programs in Bhutan, India, and the Czech Republic.