In 1998 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study Arabic and Middle East Affairs at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.
After pausing to pursue her Fulbright Scholarship in Egypt, she was hired by NBC News to be groomed as a foreign correspondent.
In early 1990, NBC News management sent her to affiliate WFLA-TV to continue her on-air training, with the provision that they could call on her to report for the network when needed.
Because of Vester's Arabic language ability and background in Middle East Affairs, NBC temporarily pulled her from WFLA-TV to report from Saudi Arabia for its affiliate stations.
[citation needed] In 1996, Vester was reassigned back to the United States, reporting from NBC's Chicago bureau.
Juliet Huddy and Mike Jerrick hosted DaySide until it was replaced with The Live Desk with Martha MacCallum in late 2006.
She also serves as a trustee for Summer Steps, an early-childhood education program in New York that prepares low-income preschoolers for kindergarten.
They are avid supporters of the Warrior Scholar Project, an academic boot camp that helps Iraq and Afghanistan veterans complete their college education after combat.
In addition, Vester has endowed a college scholarship for girls at her former high school, Ursuline Academy, in Cincinnati, Ohio.