If you own a television and occasionally flip to the NBC News channel, it is very possible you have seen Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitali on the screen.
What you may not know, though, is that Ms. Vitali is a 2008 Briarcliff High School graduate, as well as the recipient of the school’s 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award.
During her time at the school, Ms. Vitali was a talented and passionate student-athlete. Voted by her peers as “Most Likely to Become President,” in her senior year she served as a yearbook editor and played on the Varsity Girls Soccer State Championship team.
After graduating, Ms. Vitali attended Tulane University, where she earned a double major in Political Science and Communications, and a minor in English.
When she graduated in 2012, she joined NBC News and is currently a Capitol Hill Correspondent for the channel. She has covered the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, consequential midterm election cycles since 2018, and reported on the biggest stories in Washington – from historic elections for Speaker of the House, to the January 6th Select Committee investigation.
Ms. Vitali has also published a book called “Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House…Yet,” available on Amazon.
According to Ms. Vitali, her time at Briarcliff has prepared her for success.
“I learned to celebrate being the smart, confident girl, even if sometimes there are brushbacks for that in a society that still doesn’t always love when confident women speak their mind,” she said.
That confidence has helped her succeed as a student-athlete.
“Being part of the first women’s soccer team at Briarcliff to not only win a state championship, but be undefeated while doing it, was one of the best moments in high school,” she said. “That group of girls embodied what it meant to be teammates and friends. Most of us grew up together, on and off the field, so capping our years playing together with that was incredibly special.”
Her teammates were not her only source of strength; Ms. Vitali also credits her family and her teachers.
“I was taught by strong women – in my family home growing up and at BHS – and their example made all the difference for me,” she said. “Social Studies teacher Melissa Carnahan was the first teacher who helped me feel comfortable in my own skin and proud to own my academic and personal successes. That is no small thing when you are an insecure and unsure highschooler. I am thankful that she has stayed a mentor and become a friend as we have both grown up.”
Social Studies teacher Sharon Comblo has also had a great impact on Ms. Vitali.
“Her passion for politics ignited mine,” she said. “I credit her AP Politics and Government class for putting me on the career path that I am on right now, and for giving me a foundational understanding of how government works (or should, in theory).
“English teachers Julia Fernandez, Laurie Alfonso and so many more, encouraged my writing skills and created a permission structure for me to be creative with my words and grow as a writer. And world language teacher Samantha Boyer helped me tame my more attention-seeking impulses, or at least channel them in a more productive way, while also providing support – in multiple languages – for some of high school’s dramatic scenarios.”
Ms. Vitali even remembers her third-grade teacher, who is now retired, JoAnne Feustel.
“She suggested that a feisty third grader should get into lobbying (yes, lobbying!) as a future career,” she said.
“I see so many pieces of my present self that have their roots in Briarcliff. Truly, the teachers in this community were always guideposts, support systems and mentors. I am so grateful for that, and to them.”
