Hoda Kotb

Hoda Kotb (/ˈhoʊdə ˈkɒtbiː/ HOH-de KOT-bee;Arabic: هدى قطب‎ Hudā Quṭb Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈhodæ ˈʔotˤb]), born August 9, 1964, is an American television news anchor and TV host known as the co-host of NBC's Today Show's fourth hour with Kathie Lee Gifford. An Egyptian American, she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2010 as part of the Today Show team. Kotb is also a correspondent for Dateline NBC.

Early life

Kotb was born in Norman, Oklahoma, and grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia and Alexandria, Virginia. Kotb's parents are from Egypt. Kotb and her family lived in Egypt for a year, as well as in Nigeria.

She graduated from Fort Hunt High School in 1982. She was elected Homecoming Queen and selected to speak at her graduating class' Baccalaureate service. In her college years at Virginia Tech, Kotb was a member of Delta Delta Delta Women's Sorority, Beta Nu Chapter. In 1986, Kotb graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism. Kotb was the keynote speaker at her alma mater for the 2008 Virginia Tech graduation, and in her speech, played Metallica's "Enter Sandman" over her iPod. In 2010, Kotb was elected to a three-year term to the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors.