It’s one thing to be smart, but it’s a whole other to be the top of the class. Before these famous folks were topping charts, television ratings, or setting other records, it was their grades that brought them recognition. Check out these surprising salutatorians and valedictorians.
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Alicia Keys
A. Keys has been on fire since 1993. That was the year she enrolled in the famous Professional Performing Arts School in New York City at the age of 12. Alicia majored in choir and started writing songs at just 14. By 16, she was receiving her high school diploma and being honored as valedictorian.
Michelle Obama
OK, so this one isn’t really a surprise. We already know what a smart cookie our FLOTUS is and so did Whitney Young High School. They named Michelle Obama salutatorian of the class of 1981.
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John legend
John Legend has come a long way from Springfield, OH, but he hasn’t forgotten the most important thing he earned there — a good education. Like Alicia Keys, John became a high school student at 12 and graduated just four years later, as salutatorian no less. At 16, he was juggling scholarship offers from Harvard, Georgetown, and Morehouse. He ultimately settled on U Penn.
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Paul Robeson
Can you imagine being the only African American at your entire university? That’s the position Paul Robeson was in in 1915 when he became only the third black person to ever enroll in Rutgers at the time. The well-known singer, actor, and athlete didn’t let those odds stop him, he was not only elected valedictorian of the class of 1919, he also received varsity letters in multiple sports, and was accepted into the academic fraternities Phi Beta Kappa and Cap and Skull.
W.E.B. Du Bois
It should come as no shock that educator, historian, writer, and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois excelled academically. In 1884, he graduated as valedictorian from his high school in Massachusetts, and went on to earn a bachelor of arts from Fisk University. From there, Du Bois entered Harvard as a junior in 1888 and earned a bachelor of arts cumlaude, of course, in 1890. He was one of six commencement speakers during graduation.
(Photo By Donald Traill/Invison/AP)
Robin Roberts
Our favorite news reporter has been setting record numbers way before “Good Morning America.” In 1979, she graduated from Pass Christian High School as class salutatorian and then attended Southeastern Louisiana University where she graduated cumlaude in 1983 with a degree in communication.
(AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Hillary Clinton
You would expect a woman as politically accomplished as Hillary Clinton to have excelled academically, and she doesn’t disappoint. Upon her graduation from Wellesley College in 1969, Clinton had accomplished two important things: being honored as valedictorian and switching to the democratic party.
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Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood’s got a pretty good backup plan if things ever go south for her vocally. In 2001, the “American Idol” winner was named salutatorian of her high school and chose to pursue academia rather than singing. She attended Northeastern State University, graduating magnacumlaude in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. Of course, in between that time she eventually went back to her first love of singing, winning the 2005 season of AI.
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Weird Al Yankovic
Had to put an odd ball on the list. Weird Al Yankovic, the real inventor of the remix — sorry Diddy — is smarter than his musical endeavors may suggest. Yankovic actually began kindergarten a year earlier than most children and he skipped the second grade. All of which led up to him graduating as valedictorian of his senior class at 16.
