Eighteen-year-old Logan Little learned at an early age how to keep his priorities straight.

Little’s school-first mentality eventually led to his designation as Washington High School’s class of 2017 valedictorian.

“It was fun competing and going back and forth. You know, I am honored that I was able to get the top spot against some really, really smart kids,” Little said.

His parents started him off on the right foot, instilling in him the value of education and succeeding in the classroom. Little said he enjoys sports — from baseball and football, to hunting and archery — but school was always No. 1.

“I think a lot of it had to do with like when I was young — just go ahead and start like really focusing on making good grades, and throughout elementary school and middle school, always trying to keep high A’s,” Little said. “My dad and my mom always told me that grades come first, and if they start slipping, sports and all the other things, they go away.”

Little said he would try to get home as soon as he could on school nights to study or do homework, and he saved free time for the weekends.

Keeping his priorities in line paid off. Little plans to attend Liberty University this fall to study mechanical engineering — a nod to the family business.

“My dad runs Little’s Heating and Air, along with my uncle, and so I’ve always kind of been attracted to the technical-type fields,” Little said. “I like math. I like the idea of, you know, what engineers do and things like that, so it’s just interesting to me.”

Little is ready for the future, and he is excited to get out into the world. However, the prospect makes him somewhat nervous, as well.

“It’s completely new and, you know, new people, new faces, living with people that I don’t know at all. It’s going to be definitely different, but I’m also looking forward to it,” he said. “I like to attribute a lot of the success that I had to God and to my parents and also my youth leader, Mark Lilley… and also my grandfather, ‘Pop.’ Those are definitely my four biggest role models, and they kind of kept me straight throughout high school.”

With a strong background and priorities in check, Little will soon reach his next chapter, and it’s sure to be a promising one.

This is the first in a three-part series highlighting the class of 2017 valedictorians at Beaufort County’s three largest high schools.