Senior Kaitlyn Lloyd is currently ranked No. 2 in Poplar Bluff High School's Class of 2018. The 18-year-old daughter of Karen Beis and Tommy Lloyd said aiming to be the best she can be has led her to a position at the top.
"I've always strived to make myself better every single day," Lloyd said. "I've never given into peer pressure and have always done the right thing. I've always asked questions about anything that I needed."
Lloyd said making good grades and staying on the straight and narrow is something she holds herself accountable for. She said landing in the "Top 5" was never an explicit goal.
"It just kind of happened," she said with a smile.
Lloyd said she hasn't yet decided which college she will attend, but is confident she will major in accounting. She said she had initially hoped to attend Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., but that her parents said it was "too expensive."
"So then we decided I'll probably go to UMKC (University of Missouri -- Kansas City) or Mizzou (University of Missouri -- Columbia) or somewhere like that," she said.
Lloyd plans to use her accounting degree to pursue a career as a forensic accountant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
"I've wanted to be an FBI agent since the beginning of my high school career and I really like math and so accounting is something to fall back on," she said. "(Forensic accountants) make sure that big corporations don't launder money or do anything bad like cheat on their taxes."
Lloyd, who moved to Poplar Bluff from Kennett, Mo., her freshman year, said she has always made time for extracurricular activities and doesn't shy away from leadership roles.
"I played tennis during the fall," Lloyd said. "I am the president of Spanish Club and I am involved in Key Club."