Vivian is a journalist for Bloomberg News in Saudi Arabia, where she has been based since 2015. She's covered every major story during the rise of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, from the kingdom's midnight power struggles, jailed billionaires and futuristic mega-projects to the advent of women driving and the crackdown on domestic dissent. She's part of a reporting team that interviewed the crown prince three times. But she's most interested in the everyday lives of Saudis as they navigate the changes reshaping their country.
Born and raised in Chicago, Vivian graduated from Yale College in 2009 and joined the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she learned the ropes of journalism and did stints on the police and criminal court beats. Her work in Pittsburgh focused on topics including race, poverty and child welfare, and her investigative series on injuries to children in state-licensed facilities, "A long road to a safe place," won the Anna Quindlen award for excellence in journalism on behalf of American children and families.
In 2011, Vivian relocated to the Arabian Peninsula, where she wrote for an English-language newspaper in the United Arab Emirates and studied Arabic in Oman before moving to Saudi Arabia. She is fully proficient in Modern Standard Arabic and speaks colloquial Gulf Arabic comfortably. When she's not accidentally becoming the subject of Saudi memes, she enjoys gardening, hiking and exploring Riyadh's food scene.
Born and raised in Chicago, Vivian graduated from Yale College in 2009 and joined the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she learned the ropes of journalism and did stints on the police and criminal court beats. Her work in Pittsburgh focused on topics including race, poverty and child welfare, and her investigative series on injuries to children in state-licensed facilities, "A long road to a safe place," won the Anna Quindlen award for excellence in journalism on behalf of American children and families.
In 2011, Vivian relocated to the Arabian Peninsula, where she wrote for an English-language newspaper in the United Arab Emirates and studied Arabic in Oman before moving to Saudi Arabia. She is fully proficient in Modern Standard Arabic and speaks colloquial Gulf Arabic comfortably. When she's not accidentally becoming the subject of Saudi memes, she enjoys gardening, hiking and exploring Riyadh's food scene.
