COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

BIANNA GOLODRYGA CNN Senior Global Affairs Analyst

Born in the former Soviet republic of Moldova, Golodgryga came to the U.S. as an infant and was raised in Houston, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies with a minor in economics from The University of Texas at Austin in 2000, and has led a distinguished career as a television reporter, news anchor, and analyst.

She was news and finance anchor at Yahoo! News, co-anchor of the weekend edition of Good Morning America on ABC, and co-host of CBS This Morning Golodryga has covered major news stories such as the Las Vegas concert shooting, the funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush, and the president’s historic 2018 summit with Vladimir Putin. Prior to her career in television, she worked in the financial services sector.

Golodryga has received several awards, including the Keystone Policy Center Leadership Award, The University of Texas at Austin Pro Bene Meritis Award, and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Morning Program for Good Morning America She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.