BLOOMFIELD, IOWA -- Whitney Thompson of Bloomfield Iowa describes herself as just a normal student.  

"I like playing tennis, watching football, hanging out with my friends...typical teenage stuff," said Thompson.

But her achievements are exceptional. Out of the classroom, she has been one of Davis County's top tennis players for the past four years. And in school she likes the challenge of economics and math, especially calculus.

"I want to be doing financial consulting for a larger company, probably still in Iowa, helping people out…see what I can do with the economic situation. I want to be able to help turn things around," said Thompson.

Two of Whitney's teachers are also her tennis coaches. They credit her with providing leadership through example on the court and in the classroom.

"Whitney is one of those students who everyone would like to have in their classroom because she’s very conscientious, she gets her assignments done and does them well, and wants to do them well. And I think she’s a very well-rounded student because she’s excelled in the academic classes for college courses, but she’s also taken several business classes because she’s interested in going into a career in business," said Business Teacher Sandy Warning.

"Oh, she’s outstanding. She is one the most academically mature students I’ve had in a long time. She always gets her homework done, she’s very good about asking when she doesn’t understand, which is actually very rare, but she’s really driven to do well," said Calculus Teacher Steve Wilson.

After graduation, Whitney plans to attend either Simpson College or Truman State. But whatever her future holds, Whitney says she has her parents, teachers and friends to thank. She also has this advice for anyone who wants to achieve academic and personal success.

"I would say get involved and do all your homework, work hard, never give up because it’s always going to get easier sometime," said Thompson.