‘I never set out with the intention of being number one’
“Work hard so that you get to make the decision and they don’t get to make the decision for you,” said a teacher at William T. Dwyer High School to a class of students about getting into college.
To many, it was just another lecture. But to Annie Levitt, it would “ring in the back of my head when I was staying up late studying for this test or working on a paper,” the 18-year-old valedictorian said.
After spending seven summers at sleepaway camp, Levitt filled her last two summers with dualenrollment classes, and will finish school with a perfect 4.0 GPA and 5.44 HPA.
“I never set out with the intention of being number one,” she said. “I am so honored to be it and see my hard work pay off.”
Pushing herself was a bit of an understatement because since Day 1, Levitt meant business. The Jupiter resident not only entered Dwyer for the International Baccalaureate program but was also a member of eight organizations at school, including one she co-founded with a friend: Debbie’s Dream Foundation.
Levitt would be co-president of the chapter from sophomore to senior year, promoting stomach cancer awareness through volunteering and fundraisers. She involved herself in Key Club and debate team all four years, assuming the role of president her senior year as one of its eldest members.
“I was always about bringing the team together as Dwyer Debate, not just as individual debaters,” she recalled.
And while it’s no secret that leadership skills come naturally to Levitt, the teen would need a break from her responsibilities, finding solace in her canine companion, Charli.
Prior to her senior year, Levitt decided to get Charli pet therapy-certified, enrolling them in an eight-week training course.
Charli received further training at Jupiter Medical Center, where the duo visited patients and their families, staff members and nurses.
“When you walk into the room, everyone’s mood brightens,” Levitt said. “We ended up spending the most time with the little kids on the pediatrics floor.”
Now, the soon-to-be graduate is occupied with getting ready for college — a decision she was able to make for herself, withdrawing applications to several universities after signing an early-decision contract for Washington University in St. Louis.
“I knew WashU was 100 percent the school for me. I was working so hard to set myself up so that I had any option possible,” she said.
Levitt will attend the Olin Business School, where she plans to take an exploring business class. “Strategic management and leadership or finance are the ones that interest me the most,” she said.
The teen believes her interest in the field not only stems from the many leadership positions held at school, but “my whole family has been involved in business and the practical mindset . ... I’ve always been interested in the logistics and practicality of everything,” Levitt said. “Having taken economic classes spurred me to want to learn more about business. I think that put me over the edge.”