Just ask Becca Millberg, the valedictorian of the East Wake School of Health Science.

"I always did all of my homework, every night," Millberg said. While other students may have worked hard in fits and starts, she says finishing every assignment helped her climb to the top of the academic mountain.

Millberg, who will attend East Carolina University in the fall, earned a 4.66 grade-point-average at East Wake.

Though her grades were always high, Millberg says she never spent much time focusing on the race for the top spot.

She was also the captain of the girls' soccer team and the East Wake swim team.

"I like to be well-rounded," Millberg said.

But the involvement in sports also honed another skill valedictorians seem to have in common: competitiveness.

"The drive comes from me wanting to be the best. I don't like looking back and saying 'I could have done that better.' I hate that feeling," Millberg said.

The extra-curricular activities aside, Millberg credits her parents, John and Lori Millberg of Wendell, with creating an atmosphere for success.

"They knew I could do it. They set those expectations and I just had to meet them. They have always been supportive of me," Millberg said.

She plans to study nursing at ECU, a continuation of her studies at East Wake, where she took a class in anatomy and sports medicine.