Alberti ’25: Honor Court President

Cadet Elijah Alberti ’25 came to VMI as a first-generation college student seeking a U.S. Marine Corps commission. He’s on track to fulfill his goals of graduating and commissioning—and this year, he’ll fill a revered role, as well: Honor Court president.

“Being elected as the Honor Court president was very humbling,” said Alberti, an international studies major with a Chinese minor who’s a member of VMI’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu club. He was first elected to the court in the spring of his 3rd Class year and named an assistant prosecutor in the spring of his 2nd Class year. Today, Alberti can remember his surprise when he was elected as a guardian of something fundamental to the cadet experience ever since the Institute’s founding.

“I was excited and a little bit surprised to think that I was associated with something that so many cadets hold dear,” he stated. “I was definitely surprised because I look up to a lot of my own BRs and kind of have reverence for them myself, so to think that they associate with me with something like that is pretty impressive.”

As a 1st Class cadet, Alberti can look back on his rat self and see an evolution, especially regarding honor at VMI.  “As a rat, it’s kind of this almost ethereal thing that kind of hangs over everyone, and everyone subscribes to it, and it’s what we hold dear,” he said. “But I viewed those [cadets] on the Honor Court then as giants, and to think that myself and my other peers on the Honor Court get to fulfill those roles and kind of lead in a different way through the Honor Court is really special. It’s something I’m excited to do.”

Immediately after being elected Honor Court president in spring 2024, Alberti set a goal of educating the Corps. “I think that’s the Honor Court’s main effort in all facets, from the president down to assistant prosecutors,” he stated. “I think education is the primary reason why we do what we do and educating the Corps on different facets of the honor system, and not just the processes, but carrying the spirit of the honor code into their daily lives, and not just here while they’re at VMI, but something that they can take on into their careers.”

Education, he believes, is the most important job the Honor Court has. “It’s a court-wide effort, and then I’d say below that, it’s a Corps-wide effort because it’s the responsibility of the dykes to educate the rats, and then the 2nds to educate the rats, and it’s just a trickle-down system that works its way down from the Honor Court,” Alberti explained.

And according to Alberti, that trickle-down system is working as intended. “I would say that the current state of the Honor Code is very strong,” he stated. “It’s just as strong as it’s ever been. … I think what you’ll find is that cadets are abiding and living by the Honor Code. Those tenets of being honest and having integrity are just as prevalent as they were 30 to 50 years ago.”

Growing up, Alberti didn’t know anyone who’d been to VMI, but he was aware of the Institute, and because he’d always wanted to be a Marine, VMI was a natural fit. His grandfather, whom Alberti describes as “the biggest VMI fan, other than myself,” served in the Marine Corps, and in a wonderful coincidence, Alberti’s acceptance letter to the Institute arrived in the mail on the same day as his grandfather’s retirement party.

“To be able to show that to him on the day that he retired was a really proud moment for me,” Alberti noted. “It was a pretty emotional moment for both of us, just because of how big it was just to be able to go to college, and then something as unique as VMI was even bigger.”

Coming to VMI, Alberti was “taken aback by the initial experiences” during the Rat Line, but the thought of leaving never crossed his mind. As the oldest of seven siblings, he also knew that he needed to set an example for his younger brothers and sisters.

“I stuck it out because I knew the end result would be much better,” Alberti said. “I wanted to be a part of this thing that everyone else was a part of, and going through the Rat Line and seeing what everyone else has accomplished prior to me, I think, was a big reason for me sticking it out, especially through those first 5 to 6 months. … You have your BRs to push you through.”

In May 2025, Alberti will complete his cadetship—and, hopefully, commission as a Marine Corps officer. “I look forward to that day, specifically, like seeing my BRs [and] how far we’ve come, and then that final moment of knowing I completed a journey that’s … revered by so many,” he said. “I think that’ll be a really special moment for [me].”