Top 10: 11 students soar to new heights

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  It’s a great recognition to have. That being said, I don’t pride myself on being ranked in the top 10. I’m proud that I have gone through the effort and been able to dedicate all the things I do to get to where I am today. It’s not about the number, it’s about the process that I went through to be able to achieve that.  What is somethi...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  In my sophomore year, I wasn’t expecting that I’d be ranked second my senior year. It’s a culmination of everything I’ve been working towards, especially my academics. While I wasn’t fully expecting it, it was a rewarding feeling. What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self?  Speak out more in class. I started high sc...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  I am grateful to be in the top 10, but it is not the biggest achievement. The reason why people are so invested in class rank is because ranks seem like something that determines someone’s intelligence or their worth. I don’t have to be the one to tell you that that’s not true. To me, the only opinions that matter in my life are my own and my fa...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  It is an indicator of learning the concepts. I’m really fortunate that I had fun learning, which in turn led to my better grades. What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self?  I would tell myself not to stress too much. Find your own way to enjoy the topic that you are learning. That could mean breaking it up into chunks in...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  It means a lot because I worked hard throughout high school. To see that my hard work paid off and I was able to earn a spot shows that all the effort I put in actually means something. I reaped the fruits of my hard work.  What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self?  I would tell myself to not focus purely on academics becau...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  It’s an honor. This is the culmination of what I’ve been doing for the past three years. I view it as a big accomplishment of mine, and it’s also a testament to the people that surround me. I have a good support system of my friends, my parents and teachers, especially. It is as much of an accomplishment for them as it is for me, and I try to...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  It's a result of all the work I put in, a cherry on top. It wasn't exactly the goal, I never aspired to be in the top 10 or anything like that. I knew I wanted to get into college and I knew I wanted to be a doctor. I put the work into courses and then it happened. What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self?  Honestly, I should...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  It’s cool, having a rank that high shows all the dedication and effort I put in. It feels like I have something to show for doing all the homework and extra assignments. What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self?  I can't think of a lot of times when I enjoyed high school, because I had my ninth-grade year cut off in th...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  It's an achievement that reflects all the work I've put in, and I'm really proud to see how far all my work has taken me. What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self? It doesn't matter as much as you think it does. If I wasn't in the top 10, it wouldn't have mattered as much as I initially thought. What is your most memor...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  To me, it doesn't mean that much because I've always seen it as a number and not a rank. I know a lot of people that aspire to be in the top 10, and that was never my goal, it was just that I wanted to get good grades. What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self?   Things are not going to work out the way you imagine them to be, not only in...

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?  I never thought I was going to be in the top 10. When ranks came out, I was really surprised  because I knew I needed to get good grades, but never really knew how to calculate my GPA or take the right classes to boost it, nor did I ever try to.  What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self? I would tell her to explore more option...