2 6 • GCU TODAY
W
as it snacking on a mealworm that went
“pop” in her mouth or plummeting 35
feet during a ropes-course challenge?
Janel Koloski, a 26-year-old graduate
of Grand Canyon University’s College of Education, isn’t quite
sure. But she definitely did something right to land a dream job
hosting a five-part web series on TravelChannel.com.
“My whole thing was I was fearless — fearless of insects, fearless of
heights,” said Koloski, a native of Greensburg, Pa. “I just really believe in
pushing through it. I’ll just tell myself, ‘It’s OK,’ and go for it.”
Go for it she did. Her daredevil gusto in tackling freakish tasks —
cuddling a live tarantula and tiptoeing across a sky bridge among them—
along with her refreshing personality and wholesome good looks helped her
land the role of a lifetime.
From among 1,200 online applicants, Koloski ascended through three
rounds of online voting by fans, then was named by network judges the first
Travel Channel Star in September. She has finished filming the series in
Santa Fe and Albuquerque, N.M.
When the shows air next year, viewers will see Koloski float in a hot-air
balloon, explore the Cochiti Mesa with a Santa Fe artist, learn cowboy
music and sample NewMexican cuisine.
For Koloski, a love of travel and education are related. She earned a
bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from GCU in 2013, a
decision based partly on her younger brother, who has autism.
“I think my favorite thing about taking classes at GCU was that the
online environment, including my teachers and my classmates, was very
supportive,” Koloski said.
She taught special education for one year in New York, but felt
pulled in another direction.
“I really cared about the kids,” she said. “They were great. I just felt,
if you are going to do it, you have to dive in.”
A former Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA contestant, Koloski is a
part-time nanny and takes acting and dance lessons in New York City
and models for Funny Face Today and TRUE Model Management.
She also teaches English to women who are survivors of the
sex-trafficking trade through the organization Restore NYC and is
involved in causes that help special-needs children.
Koloski now is educating tourists across the globe through her
Travel Channel gig. For example, she didn’t just visit New Mexico,
she experienced it in an exciting and in-depth fashion, going beyond
typical destinations and teaching viewers about what she saw and
learned. At an insect museum, Koloski didn’t just munch on bugs,
she interviewed experts in a crowd-pleasing way about various
aspects of deadly spiders, edible worms, bees and other six-legged
friends.
Koloski charmed judges and viewers by brazenly stroking a
cockroach, letting a stick insect step gingerly across her hands, and
— yuck — eating bugs, beginning with a “crispy crickets” taco. It
was “really salty, really spicy and crunchy, for sure,” she said.
Koloski’s next course was the creepy, crawly mealworm. She
played with her prey, flicked it into her mouth, chewed firmly, and
cocked her head as if assessing its flavor.
“Yes, I ate a live worm. It was like a cherry tomato popped in my
mouth,” Koloski said. “I am fearless. I am the fearless traveler.”
She’s not easily bugged
Koloski savors taste for adventure in Travel Channel Star role
B Y L A U R I E M E R R I L L
As part of the Travel Channel
competition, Janel Koloski
mastered the Alley Pond
Park Adventure Course in
Queens, N.Y.
photo courtesy
of
travel channel
