Kumari Shreya
Created by Charlie Parsons, ‘Survivor’ is a reality series that has been popular among the public for a long time. The show brings the participants to a remote location with minimal resources and negligible facilities. The competitors, AKA castaways, must try their best to provide for themselves and survive the harsh conditions. Throughout their time on the show, the cast members are presented with different challenges that they must win to get an advantage over their competitors.
Thanks to the show’s popularity, many people featured in the show have garnered their own share of fame. Season 43 of the series introduced the viewers to many new participants, including Jeanine Zheng, as part of the Baka tribe. Thanks to her stellar performance during the survival challenge, Jeanine has a fanbase of her own, who are eager to know whatever they can about the reality TV star. If you are in the same boat, buckle up and get ready to dive into everything we know about Jeanine Zheng.
Jeanine Zheng’s Chinese Ethnicity and Admiration for Her Father’s Journey
Born on December 19, 1997, Jeanine Zheng grew up in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. She has an elder brother named Michael Zheng, and the siblings share a close bond. Jeanine loves her family and has huge respect for her father’s struggles and his journey from the farmlands of China to America. Jeanine told Parade, “My father paved the way for my family and our life as we know it. He grew up as a sweet potato farmer in the impoverished countryside of China; he eventually came to the United States, completed his PhD in genetics, and now creates biotechnologies to increase yields for those very crops.”
Talking about her love for her father, Jeanine added, “To say I admire his tenacity, discipline, and work ethic is an understatement.” In fact, the reality TV star’s love for ‘Survivor’ can, in a huge part, be laid at the feet of her father, who himself is a fan of the show. He has been a fan of the reality series, which is one of the main reasons his daughter decided to be a part of the competition. “This is the culmination of his American dream. Survivor has been his favorite reality American TV show forever,” Jeanine elaborated in an interview with Parade.
Jeanine continued, “And as a Chinese immigrant, he could have never imagined being on the show. But for me to now be on the show, as his daughter and first gen, is special.” The 24-year-old is currently based in San Francisco in Northern California. In her downtime, she loves to go backpacking, trekking, running, or simply exploring the surroundings and capturing beautiful moments and locations with her camera.
Jeanine Zheng’s Profession
Jeanine Zheng is a UX Designer by profession. She graduated from Harvard University in May 2020 with a double major in Design and Environmental Science with 3.8 and 4.0 as her GPAs. In fact, Jeanine became the first person to ever graduate with these two subjects as part of their double degree. Her senior thesis combined her two fields of study by diving into the collagen-based bio-plastic, a biodegradable alternative to its synthetic counterparts.
Jeanine also created a unique liquid printing system based on the properties of said bio-plastic and explored future uses for the same. During her time at Harvard, her photos were featured in Teen Vogue’s 2016 spread. The reality TV personality went on to study Machine Learning and AI for 8 weeks at LS&Co Machine Learning Program. Her course took place from September 2021 to November 2021 and provided her with knowledge of feature engineering, predictive/explanatory modeling, data visualizations, NLP, and image recognition.
She worked as a Research Assistant and later as a Motion Designer at Cell Signaling Technology (CST) from 2015 to 2018. In December 2018, Jeanine joined PatientPal as a UX Designer in Boston, Massachusetts. However, she left the organization in February 2019 and joined Levi Strauss & Co in June 2019. Jeanine is still working in the latter and has led several global projects for the organization.
Is Jeanine Zheng Dating Anyone?
As of writing, Jeanine Zheng does not seem to be dating anyone. The reality TV star seems wholly focused on furthering her career and working on herself. She likes to spend time with her friends and family and loves indulging in various fun activities like hiking to enjoy breathtaking views and pure air. Jeanine is especially partial to backpacking, photography, and running. In fact, during her time at Harvard, Jeanine led several backpacking trips. Her athletic nature and leadership skills are something that the UX Designer relied on during her time on ‘Survivor.’
The Harvard graduate is also enthusiastic about environmental issues, as evident from her fields of study. Jeanine is always captivated by beautiful natural landscapes and loves to combine her love for nature and digital art together. Thus, we infer she is currently enjoying her own company as a single young woman. “People often assume I’m extroverted because I’ve very effusive and engaged, especially when meeting someone for the first time. But I’m definitely an introvert and need time alone to recharge,” she told Parade. We wish Jeanine the best in her life and hope she is successful in her future ventures.
Read More: Is Survivor Scripted?
