Being number one: surely that feels good, for anyone.

But what does having the highest grade average in one’s high school class mean for today’s valedictorians? Had being number one always been their goal?

Staff photographer Kris Craig talks to a gathering of the area’s best students in the Journal auditorium Wednesday before arranging them for a group photograph.

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

The Journal posed that question to several of the valedictorians who came for a group photo last week, and received a variety of answers.

For many, winning the top spot had long-sought value of its own; for others, it was a side effect of a passion for learning. For many it was a combination of the two. And for all, becoming valedictorian resulted from remarkable hard work and focus.

Leanna Gervais, 18, of Attleboro, says she wanted to be her high school valedictorian “since I was like 5.”

“I like to learn,” she said, adding that being number one “makes me happy.” Gervais, who is valedictorian at Bishop Keough Regional High School, in Pawtucket, also offered a deeper explanation: this was an aspect of her life within her control.

“My grandmother recently passed away,” she said. “There were so many things going on in my life. This was something I could control. I stayed on top of my work. I’m very, very perfectionist.”

Gervais plans to attend Salve Regina University, where she wants to study to become a nurse practitioner.

For Yan Huang, 17, of North Kingstown High School, staying on top was a longtime goal. “I tried very hard,” she said. “They had ranks every semester. I worked at it. … It’s a feeling of being number one.”

She is also looking forward to the opportunity to “speak collectively for my class” as valedictory speaker. Daughter of Yixian Yan and Wenkang Huang, she plans to study science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Cecily Lopes, 18, of Tolman High School, in Pawtucket, says she strove for the top rank “since the beginning of high school.”

But, she explains, “It wasn’t so much the position of being number one. It was being able to learn as much as possible and do the best I can. … I didn’t compete with other people. Our class is not competitive in that way. It was more competing against myself.”

Lopes, daughter of Maria and Antonio Lopes, is also headed for MIT, where she plans to study theoretical physics and math.

For Joshua Corriveau, 17, of Blackstone, Mass., the purpose was practical: he did the best he could at Mount St. Charles Academy, in Woonsocket, for the sake of his college career.

“My goal was to get good scholarships,” he explained.

It worked: Corriveau, son of Marylou and Gerard Corriveau, won a full scholarship to the six-year pharmacy program at the University of Rhode Island.

Rebekka Michaelsen, 18, of Cranston High School West, moved around the country a lot, and she found that striving to maintain the top rank in her class was a goal she could carry from place to place.

“Plus, I like feeling important,” she said. “I’m a perfectionist.” Even so, Michaelsen said, while the pursuit of the top spot gave her something to focus on, she never expected to achieve it. “It does feel good,” she says.

But like so many of her peers, Michaelsen, daughter of Wendy and Andy Michaelsen, added: “I like to learn. That’s probably why I’m here. I turn on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, I can’t turn it off. I have to watch.”

Also like her peers, Michaelsen didn’t spend her every waking hour studying, but typically devoted her afternoons to after-school activities. She edits the school’s literary magazine and serves as mock trial captain.

Now, she’s going to Vanderbilt University. As for her career, she hasn’t decided whether to become a reconstructive surgeon or a corporate lawyer.

Asia DelBonis-O’Donnell, 17, of Rogers High School, in Newport, said she wouldn’t have been upset if she didn’t become valedictorian. But, she said, “When the principal pulled me aside and told me, it was really, like, thrilling.”

“It was always in the back of my mind,” DelBonis-O’Donnell said of achieving the top rank. “I kind of knew all along.”

Daughter of Sandra DelBonis and John O’Donnell, she plans to study physics and music at Brown University. “I kind of want to be a professor. Whatever I do, I like to be an expert and share my expertise and the things I’ve learned with other students.”

And in any crowd of high achievers, there’s bound to be someone like Robert Bretz, of Bristol, who turns 17 this week.

“It just happened,” he said of becoming valedictorian of Our Lady of Fatima High School, in Warren. “Everyone kind of knew I would be valedictorian.”

Bretz, who skipped eighth grade, explained his success: “I kind of take stuff in stride. Normal assignments come easy to me. … I paid attention and took notes.”

Bretz, son of Jean and Bud Bretz, has already drafted his valedictory speech, which he said would be “metaphorical, fancy and deep — me talking to my classmates and stuff.”

Next fall, Bretz plans to enroll in the United States Military Academy at West Point, with the goal of pursuing a career in the military. His father and both grandfathers served in the military.

“I don’t want a normal job,” Bretz said. “I want a fun job where I get to be a leader.”

ffreyer@projo.com