The Leonia High School valedictorian doesn’t know yet what she wants to study in college but is sure she’ll be challenged at a university with a strong reputation.

Kaitlin East will attend Brown University in Rhode Island and is looking forward to trying some different academic areas before deciding on a major.

One of her favorite classes is Latin, but she also likes biology.

"I can learn about the different parts of the body and how they fit together," she said.

Easily memorizing facts from biology lessons is definitely one of her strengths, she said.

Her official grade point average at the end of junior year was 4.7, which is above the 4.0 level thanks to honors and advanced placement courses.

Outside of class, she is involved in the Environmental Club, the Spanish Club, Latin Club, and was inducted into the Latin Honor Society. East also enjoys playing soccer and competed for the school and in other leagues.

She enjoyed a relaxing last week of school because her straight "As" excused her from taking final exams. Her strong focus on academics came from her family. Her grandmother, aunt, and mother are all teachers.

"My mom and dad never made me do anything," she said. "But if someone told me I couldn’t do something my parents told me to just do whatever I wanted to do to get what I want."

With about a week to go before graduation, she has written five versions of her valedictorian speech but thinks she narrowed it down to one.

"I’m going to focus mostly on how much of a community we have since Leonia is such a small school," East said. "Everyone knows each other."

Ann Melone, East’s guidance counselor, said that of all the standout academic students she’s seen, East has always shown the most humility.

"She’s proud of what she’s accomplished but she’s also the first to help others with their work," she said.

Melone said she has no doubt that East will succeed at Brown and be a major contributor to the student body because she always thinks of others.

"Whatever she chooses as her life’s work she’ll be an outstanding contributor," Melone said. "She is a leader of her generation."