Brittany Williams has received more than $500,000 in offers from universities across the country including Duke, Xavier and Syracuse.

The Southwest DeKalb magnet valedictorian has a 4.19 GPA. She chose Duke University and will major in neuroscience as a pre-med student.

“I want to be a pediatric surgeon,” she says.

Earning valedictorian brought a lot of joy to her family.

“My mom was crying tears of joy,” she said. “My dad doesn’t like to show his emotions, but he knew he wanted to cry too.”

Brittany is a member of 14 school organizations, including president of SWD Student Government and captain of the girls lacrosse team.

She credits prioritizing for her academic success.

“I always did homework and projects for the most challenging AP subjects first,” she said.

—Ken Watts

Brittany Burnett’s journey to the top of her class taught her a lot of lessons but especially one – time management.

“Academics came first,” she said. “But I was involved in a lot of other things that I loved, so I had to learn how to budget time wisely.”

Brittany earned valedictorian at Stephenson High with a 4.14 GPA. She was active in the National Honor Society, Beta Club and Ladies of Distinction and an avid volleyball and tennis player, which made it a challenge to meet her own benchmark of five hours of study per day.

“Most days I managed, except when team practice ran long,” she said.

Brittany will attend Georgia Institute of Technology where she is planning to major in civil engineering.

“I’m fascinated by the field because it incorporates math and science, which I love, but also allows you to be creative,” she said.

—Ken Watts