From the beginning, I wanted to be somebody

I developed a competitive nature from an early age and the older I got, the worse it became. In high school, I began dreaming of college and scholarships. I told myself in 9th grade that I wanted to graduate in the top of my class. My high school didn't have valavictorian or salutatorian, it was broken down into percentiles. I didn't care about being valavictorian, I just wanted to be in the top.
This mindset stressed me out a lot in high school because I was always comparing my grades with the other smart students in order to scope out the "competition." My main focus was getting the A, I wasn't into going to parties or having a steady boyfriend. I look back now and wish I would have loosened up a little, but then again, I also look at how much I've accomplished and know that it's because I didn't slack off.
The day came in May 2009 that made all the stress worth it. I received a letter from WDBJ7 inviting me to a Best of the Class Honors luncheon in Roanoke. That meant that I was in the top two of my class. My dream had come true. I grew up watching the commercials showing the top students every summer and always wished that could be me someday. I almost cried when I read the letter and I was so excited to tell my parents the good news.
All the tears I cried in the Biology book studying for a hard test and wanting to give up at times, did not matter anymore. I had accomplished what I set out to do.