MONTEREY — Some girls dream of growing up and becoming a princess. Shelby Millican dreamed of being Monterey High School’s valedictorian.

She picked the quote she wanted to use in her valedictory speech when she was still more than a year away from graduation. She started writing the speech in November and finished it in April, before class rankings were officially finalized.

And now, at 17, she’s seen that dream come true.

“I wanted to be valedictorian since sixth grade,” she said.

“This has been a dream for me forever.”

The drive to be the top student in her graduating class had a profound effect on Millican’s attitude toward schoolwork, and for her nothing less than the best is acceptable.

“I want to have 100s,” she said. “If I get below a 95 on a test, I feel like I haven’t worked hard enough.”

“If I had ever gotten a ‘B’ I would have cried.”

Now that graduation is behind her, Millican is looking to a future of studying political science with a minor in pre-law at Louisiana State University. Her ultimate dream is to become a corporate lawyer.

“I like the business side of law,” Millican said. “I want to be behind the scenes of one of those businesses that has plummeted and make sure they make the right decision.”

Millican said she first got the idea to become a corporate lawyer after taking Free Enterprise and Civics classes.

“I just loved the way that economics worked,” she said.

When she’s not planning to save Wall Street from itself, Millican is singing. She’s part of the Concordia Parish Music and Talented Program, and she competes at literary rally and other voice competitions.

During high school, Millican ran track, played softball, was a member of FCS, 4-H, Beta and Student Council. She’ll graduate with a 4.0.

Millican has attended Monterey since pre-kindergarten.

“I loved it because the whole schoool, you have a personal connection with all the teachers and all the students in a way you might not at a big school,” she said.

But with high school behind her, Millican said it’s time to move on.

“Part of the reason I am looking forward to going to LSU is because it is bigger, and there are more opportunities there that you might not get at a small school.”

Shelby is the daughter of Thomas and Dorothy Millican and Mitch and Kimberlé Cobb.