Alumna Ali Vitali trails Donald Trump for NBC News

When she was a student at Tulane University, Ali Vitali got hooked on journalism, dreaming of covering a presidential election. Fast forward (and that describes her life right now) to this year’s presidential campaign, and she’s living her dream, embedded with the Donald Trump campaign for NBC News.

“Whenever there’s an event for Trump, I’m on the road,” says Vitali, a 2012 graduate of the School of Liberal Arts who joined NBC News after graduation. “Most recently, I’ve been in at least three cities in a week, often in different states, so I’m really racking up those frequent-flier miles!”

One of eight embedded reporters for NBC News and chosen for the position in a rigorous selection process, Vitali has attended Trump’s rallies, speeches, debates and town-hall meetings for the past six months.

“I like to think of my day as a list of things I can do to best tell a story. I shoot video, write for NBCNews.com, tweet, Snapchat and report on-air — embeds wear so many hats on the road,” she says. “Some days I’m doing all of those things in the span of a few hours, but it’s always something new, which makes every day an adventure.”

One of the highlights of her fast-paced work is talking with people attending the events for Trump. “These conversations offer me an opportunity to take the temperature of the electorate and use that perspective in my reporting,” she says. Watch this campaign trail video about Vitali's work.

She thanks her Tulane professors for nurturing her interests in politics, media, feminism and writing, and her Tulane friends for their continued support.

“I loved Tulane, and it left such a mark because the people I met there helped me become who I am: Someone who’s passionate about politics, confident and well-trained in working hard and playing hard.”

Follow Vitali on Instagram and Twitter for updates, selfies and more from the trail @alivitali and on Snapchat: @avitali.