In their early thirties, the most career-invested women and men in the Illinois Valedictorian Project are those who have found deep personal meaning in vocations. Those qualities and conditions that keep students centered on work are different than those that made them high school valedictorian.

To reach the head of the class, students needed to conform to the school system and work equally hard at all subjects.

Valedictorians were highly motivated to excel academically because of early family and school experiences.

For all students, a network of career exploration opportunities, sponsors, and mentors is a critical accompaniment to coursework.

That is, ability, values, opportunities, gender, culture, and social class all affect the aspirations and achievements of academically talented students. So does chance.

One of the problems with having time to read all that you want is that your interests become so eclectic it's hard to focus.