Kristen Welker was born in Philadelphia, Penn., where her mother was a real estate agent, and her father was an engineer, according to Philly Voice. Welker graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in American History from Harvard, according to PBS. Welker knew journalism was her path from a young age, telling The Everygirl in 2018, "I grew up watching respected broadcast journalists (from Andrea Mitchell to Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey) and, for as long as I can remember, I knew that was what I wanted to do, too."

She joined the National Association of Black Journalists and began to climb the ladder. In 2010, she joined NBC News in Burbank, Calif., and in her first year, she was nominated for "a national Emmy Award for her role in NBC News' midterm election coverage," per PBS. Welker did ultimately win an Emmy Award in 2014 for her coverage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, according to Marie Claire. Oh, and did we mention that she worked as the White House correspondent for NBC, where she traveled with former President Barack Obama to cover international topics? Pretty impressive. Following Obama's tenure, Welker covered then presidential-hopeful Hillary Clinton.

As for her personal life, Welker married marketing director John Hughes in 2017. The journalist, who wed when she was 40, had struggled in the past with dating due to her busy schedule. "I hope my story inspires people to keep an open mind," Welker told The New York Times. "and never give up hope that they'll meet someone."

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