Carol Costello - 2004
MHS 1980 Graduate
Carol Costello was nominated to the Minerva High School Alumni Hall of Fame by William Palmer. She is an anchor and reporter for the CNN News Group. Based in CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, she anchors "CNN Daybreak," the network's early morning news program.
Costello graduated from Minerva High School in 1980 where she was active in speech and debate, Congressional Council, National Honor Society, and school plays. She qualified for the state speech competition two times. She attended Kent State University and has an honorary doctorate from Thiel College.
Costello joined CNN in October 2001 from WJLA-TV in Washington, D. C. where she had worked five years as an anchor and investigative reporter. Before that, she spent three years at WBAL-TV in Baltimore, as an anchor and co-anchor. She began her career as a weekend anchor and reporter for WAKR-TV in Akron. She then moved to WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, to work as the station's principal weeknight anchor.
During her time with CNN, Costello has reported on numerous events, including providing live coverage of the D.C.-area sniper case and interviewing former President Jimmy Carter about his 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. She has also guest hosted on America Morning with Paula Zahn, Newsnight with Aaron Brown, and the network's former daily talk show, TalkBack Live.
In addition to President Carter, Costello has interviewed three other former U. S. Presidents: President Ronald Reagan, President George H. W. Bush, and President Bill Clinton.
Costello's work has been honored numerous times, including a 1991 Emmy Award for a special on crack cocaine, a UPI award, several Associated Press awards and an Emmy nomination in 1993.
As for community service, Costello says, "I have tried to give back to the many communities in which I have worked. I've served on the board of an alcohol recovery center and a rape crisis hotline." She has volunteered with United Way and a domestic violence center. Now that she has a national forum, she hopes to do much more.
When asked for advice to teenagers interested in broadcast journalism, she said, "You should keep in mind that it took me 13 years to get to CNN. When I was in Minerva, I never would have thought that I would end up at CNN. Don't take anything for granted. You can do anything you want to do with hard work. Be as smart as you can be. That, more than looks, will get you where you want to be."
The two teachers that she mentioned who were major influences in her life are Paul Vaccani and Carl Michael. She credits them with helping her overcome her fear of speaking in public and always giving her good advice.
Costello said that her work at CNN is her dream job, and that her years at Minerva High School gave her the confidence to give TV news casting a shot.