Student Profile: Hills East Valedictorian Brett Teplitz

It's all about the people, according to Hills East valedictorian Brett Teplitz.

Helping them, and most of all, relying on them to navigate the twists and turns that is the life of a high school student.

"I couldn't have gotten where I am today without the support and love of others, you can't survive high school with all the stress and AP [exams], you can't do it on your own," Teplitz said.

Among his numerous achievements, Brett is a mathlete, and here's an equation that's easy to figure out: Valedictorian = 1. As in number one of the East Class of 2011, with a 99.28 average.

Among Brett's other accolades, he's the vice president of his school's National Honor Society, and took part in the Science Olympiads, along with being part of the .

"Brett is somebody that's a go-getter, he works extremely hard to accomplish what he achieves," assistant principal Michael Bongino said. "[His accolades] are all well deserved."

When it came time to take the next step in his academic journey, Brett was torn, Dartmouth or Duke? Again, it came down to people, and he says the folks at Dartmouth really made him feel welcome, and that's where he'll pursue his career in medicine.

Brett's father is an orthopedic surgeon, and he's shadowed his dad at work. He looks forward to establishing interpersonal relationships with the patients he'll one day treat.

"I definitely want to interact with patients," Brett said. "You get to meet them, they're appreciative, there's a respect but you also get to give them the confidence before you [operate]."

As he looks ahead, Brett Teplitz can't help but look back as the school year, and his high school career, come to a close.

"Everything [at East] is so familiar, everyone is so warm and friendly, I know it's going to be a great environment for me the next four years, but this can't be beat," he said.

Especially with his grades.